


Join Together

by FourFaces



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, I'll add it in the ship tags when we get there, Lup (The Adventure Zone) Lives, M/M, Warning there will be a cursed ship, but it's later and only for a couple chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-07-20 07:55:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16132961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FourFaces/pseuds/FourFaces
Summary: "Lup’s heart hammered in her chest as she looked down at the dagger.She had come so close to dying. So close to burning her body on this last cycle.She breathed a sigh of relief and gathered herself before quickly leaving Wave Echo Cave. The gauntlet was safe now. No one could possibly find it and she would be able to sleep at nights now."Lup does not die in Wave Echo Cave. Unfortunately, Lucretia's plan still goes into action. A chance meeting in an inn changes the story. A chance meeting brings people together much sooner.





	1. My Mind Tore Us Apart

**Author's Note:**

> I've been playing with this fic for a while and now I'm finally posting it! This one is going to get wild but it should still be fun!
> 
> Fic title and Chapter Titles are all references to The Who.
> 
> Thank you to Tanacetum/Tansy from TFW for Beta'ing!

Lup’s heart hammered in her chest as she looked down at the dagger.

She had come so close to dying. So close to burning her body on this last cycle.

She breathed a sigh of relief and gathered herself before quickly leaving Wave Echo Cave. The gauntlet was safe now. No one could possibly find it and she would be able to sleep at nights now.

As she left the cave, she scanned the sky for the Starblaster. She would need to send up a signal or something to let them know she was there. She sighed and aimed her umbra staff, preparing to cast fireball on a tree when she realized …

She didn’t really remember it.

It was like an itch in her brain. She had cast this dozens of times, as far as she knew, but for some reason, she couldn’t remember the incantation for it.

She couldn’t even remember why she had been trying to cast it. She knew that she wouldn’t ever cast such a powerful spell without reason. Had someone been coming after her?

No, she had been in Wave Echo Cave to leave … something …

She set down her pack, feeling her skin pricking with heat as she grew more and more nervous. As she looked down at her robe, she noticed a blue patch with words in a strange language and a circle of multicolored discs.

She felt her heart rate ramp up.

She had a brief moment of clarity as she looked up at the sky. The darkening sky was blue. Not purple. She wasn’t home. This was a strange place and she had come here with her family. Her memory was quickly fading away, much like the memory of the song that only Barry and Lucretia remembered.

_Fisher … Did Fisher do this?_

As quickly as she had the thought, it turned to static.

She was forgetting. She was forgetting her found family on the Starblaster. Forgetting the love of her life. Forgetting that she was a lich.

Forgetting about her …

Who was she forgetting again?

She looked down at her hands. On her left hand was a golden band with a purple stone in the center. She took in a shaky breath as she focused on the ring Barry had given her on the day they had given each other. The ring that was a promise for the future. A promise to …

Who gave it to her again?

Her heart felt as if it was being ripped from her body. She tried to focus as she stared at the ring, willing an explanation in to being. She had gotten this ring from someone. She couldn’t have bought it herself. The money she had been making while traveling on the road couldn’t pay for something like this -

She shook her head. She needed to regroup. This had all started when she was trying to cast a spell that was too high of a level. She was going to signal someone. She was trying to get help because she had been … What had she been doing?

Why was she in the woods?

The Phoenix Fire Gauntlet. She had been hiding it and needed to get home to …

To who?

She tried again. She was in the woods. She couldn’t remember why. She was trying to signal someone because … She couldn’t remember why she was signaling someone. She didn’t have anyone in her life right now.

Her ears flattened as she looked around, her face growing hot from fear.

She didn’t remember where she lived. She didn’t remember where she was going.

She barely remembered who she was.

She gripped at her head as she tried to remember, static filling her mind. She staggered through the woods, trying to make sense of her surroundings as she searched for a road. For anything that would get her to where she could get her bearings.

Nothing seemed to make sense. She couldn’t understand. The sky looked wrong, but she didn’t know why. The trees, the grass … Everything was just … off.

She eventually found a road and sat down, trying to get her bearings. She wasn’t even sure what time it was now. She knew it was dark out. That was the most she could understand.

She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the road. The tall pine trees lined the darkened road as it stretched out towards the lights of a small town. The smell of the pines was comforting. Familiar.

It was something she could focus on as she tried to figure out where she was. She was about to take another, shaky step when she froze. If she didn’t know where she was, then she didn’t know where she was supposed to go. She must have been left behind. It was the only thing that made sense. She never stayed on the road alone for this long.

She looked down at the grooves in the road, made by wagons that had passed over the road repeatedly. At the very least, this was a well travelled road, so wherever she ended up, she might be able to find shelter. Find another group.

But she couldn’t even remember who she had been with before. She couldn’t remember the last town she had been in or why she had been near that gloomy cave.

She wasn’t even sure which way she should go at this point.

A noise startled her overhead. She looked up to see a peculiar, silver bolt streak across the sky. She couldn’t see any definition on it, as if it was just out of focus. She shook her head again and then curled in on herself. She needed to try and get her bearings.

Lup. Her name was Lup.

She was a Sun Elf from New Elfington.

Her mother and father died during the plague that wiped out the town.

She was always passed around. She became an adult at twelve. Over eighty years before she was supposed to.

She was a vagabond. She had to fight to survive and she was damn good at it. Her most marketable skill was her cooking though whatever troupe she had last left must have decided she wasn’t good enough.

But that didn’t matter because she was an outcast.

Always alone.

She breathed deeply a few times and then stood up.

She needed to get to the town down the road and find help. If she could do that at least, then she could find out why she was missing so much time.

~

Lucretia had left Taako near a town outside of the Felicity Wilds. He could get his business started here. He could be preoccupied until she found all of the relics.

She could see how he acted, recoiling away from her as if she had struck him. She had forgotten, in her panic, about how dangerous and tough his and Lup’s childhood had been.

And she had taken Lup away.

“Taako … I’m so sorry … It will only be for a short while and then this will all be fixed. I promise. Just …” She pulled out a sack of gold. “Take this and buy a wagon … You need to get started on your traveling show. The cooking show you always talked about!”

“R-right …” Taako said, his eyes unfocused. “Thanks, I guess,” he mumbled as he warily took the bag.

Lucretia watched him leave, unaware of the Sun Elf that was walking down the street behind her.

The first place Taako went to was the inn at the end of the street. He walked in and looked for a place to sit and wait. The inn was busy, the single halfling at the desk trying their best to check in as many new patrons as possible.

Taako looked down at his possessions. A bag of gold, a wand, a bag full of clothing … He didn’t have much, but it was how it had always been.

He thought back on the human woman. She had never explained who she was but he assumed she had been part of the latest travelling troupe he had been with. He sighed.

_I guess this is alright for severance pay …_

The bell above the door chimed and Taako looked up to see a female Sun Elf walk in, clutching a bright red robe to her chest. She carried a pack, the handle of what must have been an umbrella sticking out. He flicked his ears. There was something about her … She seemed so familiar to him - which admittedly would have been nice in his strange town - but his brain wouldn’t let him place where he knew her from.

She staggered over to the line and looked around. Taako watched her closely. She must have also had a pretty difficult life, for how nervous she was. He didn’t trust people at all but a part of him wanted to go over to her. To talk to her. To trust her.

He looked back down at his own bag, surveying his inventory again. At least she had an umbrella. He would be cursed to minor, temporary discomfort if it started raining and that wouldn't do.

“You get the last one,” the clerk began as he spoke with the female elf. “There’s two beds in there so I guess you lucked out?”

Taako sprung to his feet. He didn’t want to have to go searching for another inn. He supposed he should have gotten in line, but this elf was getting a room and he wasn’t -

“Hey!” Taako growled. “I was waiting here first!”

The female elf’s ears flattened. She looked at him as if she was trying to piece something together. Her ears twitched as she spoke and, had he not been so angry, Taako would have noticed that she was speaking to him in his family’s language.

“I didn’t see you,” she started. “And most people get into line if they want to stay at an inn.”

 _“Why do you look so familiar?”_ Her ears twitched. _“Did you steal my face?”_

“Don’t you know who I am?” Taako blurted out. “I’m Taako! And I’m going to be on TV!”

“Uh … What’s TV?” the clerk started “Look, sir … She came up to the desk first-”

“I can handle this!” The female elf chastised. “And what do you mean you’re going to be on TV? No one’s ever heard of you!”

“But they will because I’m a bomb ass chef!”

“Not as much of a bomb ass chef as me!”

“Please, you two … Calm down,” The clerk cried out, panicking. A crowd began to assemble around the bickering elves. “I’m sure we can reach some solution -”

“I bet I could cook circles around you,” Taako gloated.

“You’re on!” The female grinned. “And you know what? I’m feeling generous. There are two beds in my room so you can stay there and if you win, then I won’t kick you out tomorrow!”

“And if you win, then I’ll let you join my cooking show.”

“Deal,” she laughed. “The name’s Lup.”

Taako felt an odd sensation when she said her name. His heart swelled for a moment, but he couldn’t place why. It certainly couldn’t be this elf in front of him for so many reasons. One, she was not his type at all and two, she stole his room and his face! He shook his head to clear it for a moment and then smiled.

“Taako,” he replied.

“From TV?” she teased, her ears lifting in a way that Taako realized said _“I’m mostly playing with you. Mostly.”_

“Yeah …” he said, looking her over. This elf somehow knew his family’s language. In the short time he had been in this inn, he hadn’t seen anyone speak with their ears but now ...

The clerk sighed, handing over the key to Lup who laughed as she pocketed the keys.

“Hey half-pint,” Lup grinned. “Is there a kitchen we could do our challenge in? Maybe we could feed your guests tomorrow - if his food is edible that is.”

“Uh … yeah, I mean, I’ll have to talk to my manager but -”

“Excellent. Come, Taako. We must rest and then prepare!”

Lup whooshed away with a flourish, Taako following behind her, dumbfounded.

The clerk scratched his head as the pair sauntered off. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought they were related.

~

Barry hovered over the field, leaving behind his body.

Lup. She had to still be somewhere. He had to find her.

He tried not to think about the worst possibilities. If she was dead then she should have found him by now.

Which meant she might be alive.

Alive and scared.

Without any memory of him.

Without any memory of Taako.

He felt the lightning crackle at his fingertips and calmed himself down, humming to himself.

He needed to find some way of coming back. He needed to find Lup.

With Lup, he could get back to the ship, wherever it had gone.

With Lup, he could find out why everyone had forgotten.

Lucretia couldn't have done this.

He made his way to the tree line of the surrounding forest and had another realization. He had watched, back at the Hanging Arcaneum, as Lup had demonstrated her staff to Taako.

As her staff had almost swallowed Taako’s brand new weapon.

It consumed magical energy. And as liches, that was all he and Lup really were.

If Lup had died, she had been with her staff.

A chill ran through him.

If she had died, she would be trapped.

He wasn't sure what was worse.

~

The inn was filled with smells that enticed people from in off of the street. People were beckoned from their rooms, each guest searching for the source of the heavenly scents as Lup and Taako cooked furiously in the inn’s kitchen.

They had been up the entire night, preparing their meals. Meditation was elusive when the opportunity to best someone in culinary combat was within reach and so both elves had gone to the butcher shop, snuck in, left a gold piece, and taken the largest turkey they could find. Lup had raided the kitchen for the most aromatic spices possible. Some spices were unable to be located, so she relied on the small amount of transmutation magic that she knew. As she had seasoned the turkey the night before, rubbing the skin with butter, warm memories of her aunt had flooded in. Memories of sitting in the kitchen on her birthday, smelling the spices that could have levitated you into the kitchen if it were any more magical wrapped around her mind. It was something she could hold onto. Something she could ground herself with.

Taako, meanwhile, had simply gone the transmutation route with his spices. He had made a big show of transmuting flowers into rosemary and salt into garlic. He looked over at one point as Lup leaned in to check on the turkey and flattened his ears.

How had she learned the same recipe? It didn’t make sense. This was his aunt’s special birthday turkey! First she was stealing his face and now she was stealing his turkey!

His anger melted however as he returned to his work. A part of him knew why but each time he tried to dwell on the coincidences, his mind dissolved into static. He must have been hit with a powerful spell while he was on the road or something. Which must have been why he had been abandoned by that human woman.

Lup looked over at Taako. She wanted to take a moment to talk to him about why he seemed so familiar, about why he had stolen her face, but she needed to focus. She needed to win. She couldn’t imagine trying to find another place to stay. Trying to find work.

If she had to be honest, the idea of working alongside another sun elf was nice. There were things that only Sun Elves might understand and a part of her wondered if maybe he had been another refugee from her hometown. If he had somehow grown up in the same culture and knew the same customs.

He had to. He knew the full scope of elvish, down to the body language. He had demonstrated as much as he had been working over his turkey, puzzling out the same thing she herself had been puzzling.

The tension in the room was high and the heat from the tension was nearly as stifling as the heat from the ovens as they cooked.

Lup pulled out the turkey to let it rest and began to ladle out the juices to make her gravy. She looked over to see Taako doing the same and smiled in spite of herself. She wanted to win, of course, but a part of her wanted him to stay with her now. Even in the few hours she had known him, she felt as if there was something that drew her to him. Not out of a romantic love ( _Gods no_ ) but out of something she couldn’t describe.

“My aunt taught me this recipe and I could do it with my eyes closed!” Lup gloated as she whisked the gravy.

“Well, my aunt also taught me a turkey recipe and I’m certain it will be a million times juicier than yours!” Taako retorted.

“Nu-uh!” Lup teased, sticking her tongue out.

There was something familiar in their banter and it did not go unnoticed between the two elves, even if they hid it from each other. They had an undeniable chemistry. They seemed to compliment each other better than even the mashed potatoes complimented the gravy that they each poured out when they started plating their dishes.

Lup looked over at Taako’s dish. It looked exactly like her aunt’s recipe, down to the garnish off to the side.

If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought that maybe her aunt’s recipe wasn’t nearly as original as she had thought.

“Um … if you two are ready, you’ve drawn in quite a crowd …”the harried morning clerk stammered, poking her head into the kitchen.

Lup and Taako looked at each other and grinned, each carting out their trays, spread out with the most delicious smelling turkey ever cooked in Faerun. As they watched the gathered crowd in the inn take up their plates and devour the food, they began to realize something.

There wasn’t going to be a clear winner.

If they had been up against anyone else, both elves would have been furious, demanding a rematch. Instead, Lup turned to Taako with a smile.

“I guess I’m not kicking you out after all,” she laughed.

“And I guess my show will have to have a second chef,” he grinned. “How does Sizzle it up with Taako and Lup sound?”

Lup grinned in return.

“Sounds perfect to me, partner.”

They shook on it, each trying to ignore the static that clouded their minds when they tried to make sense of how easily they fell into this working relationship. It was almost as if they were meant to be a duo.

“Say, your accent,” Taako started. “You aren’t from New Elfington, are you?”

“Hell yeah, my dude!” Lup grinned. “Born and raised!”

“No shit!” Taako laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulder. “Well, looks like we’re going to be taking the whole continent by storm.”

Lup wanted to believe it. She had never felt like she belonged anywhere and now there was this elf who was willing to take her on as a business partner.

It was almost too good to be true.

~

Barry found himself hovering towards a necromancer’s auction. He sighed, hoping that he could find something that could be a source of revivification. He couldn’t stay out much longer. The Raven Queen had caught wind of him and he was now the top of the bounty list.

He couldn’t allow them to take him. He needed to find Lup. He needed to find his family.

He watched as the necromancer’s lot was brought onto the stage. Why had Fisher wiped everyone’s memories? Had Lucretia been part of this? He didn’t want to believe it, but he knew she was immune to the Voidfish’s magic.

Why would she have done something like this? Why would she have erased an entire century? His friends?

Lup?

He watched as a revivification pod was brought out. He needed to win it. He needed to get his body back. This would be the perfect tool.

~

  
They were a month into their journey when they finally began to compare their childhoods. They had parked the wagon in the forest and set up cots around a blazing fire that Lup had started.

Taako had long given up on the idea that he would ever meet someone from New Elfington. He had been so young when his grandparents had taken him from his early childhood home. From the corpse of his mother who held him until she died, a mask obscuring her face so he wouldn't succumb to the same disease.

And now, here was this other Sun Elf. One whose grandparents had also taken her in when her parents had died. One who knew what he had gone through, living with grandparents who didn't want to honor old elven traditions, who had forsaken them in order to appear more appealing to the humans who had encroached on their lands. Grandparents who wanted to keep up appearances and were unbelievably strict - who forbade the use of true elvish (humans couldn't speak with their ears, after all).

Who had an aunt who loved her for who she was, just as his aunt had loved him.

“No shit! My birthday is the ninth day of Kythorn as well! Ok, what time?” Lup grinned, stoking the fire between them.

“About midday,” Taako replied.

“Hah! I'm thirty minutes older than you!”

Something about that response felt achingly familiar to both of them. This joke felt like something they had shared before, but it was impossible.

They had only just met.

“Ok, so you said your grandfather didn’t want you to speak with your ears,” Taako started. “But did he ever tape them down so that you couldn’t curse under your breath at him?”

“Fuck, all the time!” Lup laughed, bitterly. “Bastard’s still alive too, I think. I had to work on his farm when I was sixty-five.”

“What?!” Taako cried out. “God, maybe we’re cousins or something.”

“I doubt it!” Lup laughed. “I was the youngest in my whole family so …”

They sat in silence for a moment. Lup didn’t want to get her hopes up, that somehow this was a link to a long lost family. That this was a sign that she wasn’t truly alone.

But no. New Elfington had mostly been a Sun Elf settlement and a lot of the elves from her grandfather’s hometown were farmers.

This was just a coincidence. A horrible, disappointing coincidence.

“So, when did you pick your adult name?” Taako asked, breaking the silence.

“I was twelve,” Lup started. “I mean, I guess it was my second time I changed my name. My mom and dad and my cool relatives called me Lulu because I told my mom I liked her name. And so when my aunt died, I decided I was an adult and I chose my adult name to honor my mom. You?”

“I was twelve too!” Taako grinned. “My dad wanted me named after him and I was resistant at first because come on, that's like, so last century but then he died and … well, I missed him.”

They sat in companionable silence for a moment before Lup spoke up again.

“First job?”

“I was an apprentice,” Taako started. “I thought I wanted to be a cleric but religion wasn't my thing. Then there was a wizard who specialized in using transmutation with medicine and my aunt had always had a little magic with her cooking so I figured learning any type of transmutation might make me more appealing to take on when I was older …”

“No shit?” Lup grinned. “I tried to apprentice with a transition wizard too, but the runes just weren't my thing. My script is atrocious and that can spell disaster with transmutation,” she laughed. “Though, that was the best experience for me because he was so helpful. I was going to go back and try to learn more and maybe get more finished but, to tell you the truth, I can't even remember what the guy looked like.”

Taako tilted his head. Maybe this has been his own teacher? He would recognize his first teacher’s runes anywhere.

“I … don’t want to be forward but transmutation is still my specialty. Mind if I?”

“Sure, m’dude,” Lup smiled, lifting her crop top up.

Taako stared at the runes, his head aching as he tried to piece them together.

It wasn't that they were difficult to comprehend. They were beautifully scripted and were a simple, but effective spell.

No, the hardest thing to comprehend was that the runes were in his own handwriting.

“Huh …” Taako started. “Whoever did this … huh …”

“Is it ok?” Lup asked

“Yeah …” Taako nodded. “The runes just looked familiar …”

“Have you done something like this before?”

“Not that I … remember …” Taako trailed off.

He wanted to remember. He wanted to know but he never remembered actually succeeding in helping someone with his magical skills. He only remembered switching his focus to using magic to cook and he didn't even remember why he had left his first teacher.

It had to have been because he was so young when he had started out. That had to be why he didn't remember helping Lup.

Why he didn't remember meeting her, period.

“Well,” Lup sighed, changing into a sleep top, “I guess we should turn in for the night, Koko,” she teased.

As the words came out, both elves fell silent.

Something about the exchange …

“Yeah …” Taako agreed. “Uh … have a good night, Lup,”

“You too …” Lup smiled before plopping down onto her cot.

Taako stared at her for quite some time, trying to piece everything together.

He had helped her out at some point and he couldn't remember it. It hurt so much that his heart ached.

Perhaps, if the show became successful, he could buy some books on the subject and learn the rest of the needed runes and help her once more, if she wanted it.

~

Barry hovered over the bodies of the gerblins in the cave, red lightning crackling around him. He had lost composure for just a second and had proven just how dangerous he could be.

No wonder The Raven Queen was after him.

He set to work, trying to push away the fear that Lup had met a terrible fate, that she had died and been found by the Raven Queen.

That she had died, been consumed by her staff, and was trapped with no one to save her before her energy was sapped.

He couldn't afford to lose control again.

He set up his revivification pod and then poured the vial of blood inside.

As he looked around the cave, he realized he would need to redo his maps. His logs. Everything.

Even if Lucretia wasn’t behind this, there would be no way of getting back to the ship.

He sighed and set about cleaning up the cave.

In just a few more months, he would be able to search again.


	2. Just Another Trick of the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup and Taako find a new friend and have a fateful encounter in Raven's Roost. Barry continues his lonely search.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ship tags will be changing with the next chapter. I am so sorry in advance.

Adjusting to sharing a life with someone else should have been difficult for Taako.

But Lup just slotted into everything perfectly. They had come up with a routine on the way to Raven’s Roost. They would cook a three course meal, Lup the first course, Taako the entree, and then both would come together and make the most bomb-ass spectacular dessert.

Raven’s Roost was their test market, the pair parking their cart in the Craftsman Corridor, performing a special three-night engagement. Lup and Taako went over their planned show as they prepared their signage.

“Alright, so I’ll do the breaded cheese and spicy marinara to start, then you'll do the stuffed eggplant, and we'll close with a Baked Icewind?” Lup started. “I mean. I can't believe none of the cookbooks had the name we grew up with for our show stopping dessert but whatever … I guess the memory of Baked Fantasy Alaska died with our hometown, huh?” Lup chuckled.

“Yeah,” Taako grinned. “I think its it's a perfect closer too! I can transmute the merengue and you torch it with your flames!”

A knock at the door of their cart alerted the pair. They stuck their heads out to see a tall, broad shouldered man with a beard, bushy sideburns, and a kind smile.

“Hail and well met!” he smiled.

Something about him struck both of them, but they couldn't quite place it. He felt familiar. He felt like home.

He felt like pure, rustic hospitality.

“Hail and well met, m’dude!” Lup grinned. “Here to get a good seat for our show?”

“Yeah!” the man crowed. “You're serving up free samples, right?”

“Of course, m’dude!” Taako purred, leaning in to greet him. “I'm Taako. You know, from TV?”

There was a flicker across the man’s face, as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle that was missing a few pieces. He blinked rapidly and shook his head.

“Sorry about that,” the man chuckled. “I just … something about that was familiar.”

Lup looked between the man and Taako. The elf’s ears twitched slightly.

“Uh … anyway, yeah if you need help setting up, I'll be free all afternoon! I've got a break from my apprenticeship and, well, you look like you might need some help!”

Taako grinned.

“Well, I've always hated lifting heavy shit so sure! I'll show you what we need set up and you can have first dibs of the free samples!” Taako chuckled.

“Hey ‘Ko,” Lup teased. “You didn't even ask the dude's name! It's like, a thing people do when they meet new people!”

Lup clambered out of the cart and strode beside Magnus.

“My name is Lup! And you are?”

“Magnus,” the human grinned. “Magnus Burnsides!”

As he helped the pair set up their stage, Magnus was struck with a familiarity that he hadn't felt for the last month. He hadn't known too many elves, not even growing up, but these two seemed special and he couldn't tell why.

“You know,” Magnus started, “I could maybe see if my teacher could let you stay with us. It's not perfect accommodations, but if you're looking at staying a few nights, it will be cheaper than staying at an inn.”

Taako and Lup exchanged a glance. Originally, they had decided to stay in their cart while they moved from town to town, but if their first stop was this hospitable …

“Hell yeah, Mags!” Lup smiled. “We’d love to stay with you!”

Magnus grinned and beckoned for the pair of elves to follow him.

~

“You are looking for either a Sun Elf or a lich in a red robe. If she is a lich in a red robe, then she will remember everything. She will remember you, even if you don't remember her. If she isn't a lich then …God, I don't even know … I had a lead on one of the places she could have gone which is why you're here …”

Barry rested on a rock, surveying his next move. He didn't know why, but he felt like he had to believe in his own voice. He supposed things like this were common. In his quest to be a perpetual student, the middle aged man had gone to his share of college parties.

Waking up in a tank inside of a cave had been new.

And this coin. He had never seen anything like it before, but apparently he had felt the need to leave himself a message on it.

He felt the weight again and nearly crumpled from grief, but he still couldn't place it.

He had to keep going.

He sighed and rose to his feet. He had to figure out this weight that he felt.

Even though he couldn't remember anything about it, he knew it had to be the most important thing in the world.

~

As Magnus sat between the elves, he felt an odd sense of familiarity.

He supposed it was just part of his upbringing. He had always been good at forming strong bonds with people, even when they had just met.

It was what he had told himself when he had almost instantly fallen in love with Julia.

Not that he would ever tell her, of course. He had only just recently started the apprenticeship with her father and he didn't want to betray that trust. Besides, he was a human and she was a half elf. There was no way she would want to spend the next few decades with a human.

He was content to just keep his feelings to himself.

Unfortunately, his new friends didn't feel the same way.

“Wait, you mean you haven't asked her out?” Lup gasped through a mouthful of potatoes.

Magnus turned beet red and looked, helplessly, across the table at the equally blushing Julia and his amused mentor.

“Uh … I …”

“You're a human!” Taako cried out. “At best you have only a few more decades before it's it's too late to tell her!”

“Well, I …”

“Hey Jules?” Lup leaned over, a glimmer in her eye. “What do you say? Isn't Maggie here a catch?”

“I…”

Lup and Taako exchanged a glance and then Taako looked to Julia.

“Well. whatever. I've only known Magnus here for a few hours but I can say, he’s a decent guy,” Taako began before his ears began to twitch, saying _“Seriously, if I didn't know he was so into you, I would take him myself.”_

_“Koko!”_ Lup's ears sprang up in surprise and she patted Magnus on the back.

_“What?”_ Taako responded, his ears flattening. “So Magnus, were you planning on staying in Raven’s Roost? I mean, we could always use a bodyguard!” _“Tell him not to leave. That you are meant for each other!”_

“I … erm …” Magnus stammered. What the hell were these elves doing? It was bad enough that they had been so insistent on announcing his crush. Now they were trying to egg this on in elvish?

Even stranger, however, was the fact that neither Julia nor Stephen seemed to understand.

Huh …

“I wasn’t really planning on going anywhere,” Magnus started. “I mean, after I finish my apprenticeship, I suppose I could build myself a house but I think I'll still live here in Raven’s Roost.”

Magnus did not miss the blush that deepened on Julia’s cheeks.

~

“Now you have to be careful with the merengue,” Taako grinned, gently scooping some of the merengue into his piping bag as Lup placed the dome of ice cream on top of the cake. “We want it to hold its shape because this is the finale and neither of us will settle for just a lump of merengue so …”

Taako cast mage hand and then looked to Lup.

“Damn, I forgot the rum.”

He ducked underneath the table as Lup winked to the audience, producing a flask from thin air. She produced an umbrella from next to her and prepared to cast.

“This is why I always keep a little extra on hand,” she chuckled as the mage hand piped the merengue into a wizard’s hat. Lup grabbed the piping bag and swirled the dessert around so that the front faced her as she feverishly piped something else out of view of the audience. “Now, you want to make sure that you have enough rum on the merengue, but also not too much. I like to use coconut rum with this particular recipe. Then you can have the tropics in the arctic! For you keen eyed viewers, you may notice I’m not using a traditional focus. Well, only stodgy wizards believe that you have to have a dinky wand like my associate has when you’re a low level wizard. In reality, anything can be a focus! Including this umbrella!”

Taako popped back up and Lup tossed him the flask of rum. Taako grabbed a ladle and poured the rum into it.

“Ready Lulu?” he grinned.

“Hell yeah!”

With a point of the umbrella, the rum was blasted with fire. Taako drizzled the flaming liquid onto the Baked Fantasy Alaska as Lup spun it around, revealing the words “Sizzle it Up With Taako and Lup” emblazoned in the merengue.

The uproarious applause was music to the elves’ ears and they happily handed out samples to their audience. They had never expected to be so beloved at their first stop. It was tempting to just take up a permanent residency (and really, they had many more recipes to share with the town), but they could only stay for a few more nights. After Raven’s Roost, they needed to travel to Bottlenose Cove for a few nights and in order to do that, they needed to brush up on dwarven cuisine.

Magnus had insisted they continue to stay with him until their residency had ended. He could blame it on his rustic hospitality, but in reality he felt a pull to the elves. He didn't want them to leave.

Something about them felt like home.

Unfortunately, the week ended and so did Taako and Lup's first tour of Raven’s Roost. Magnus helped them load up and watched as the pair started off for their next destination.

He waved them off and then went to his room above the workshop. He needed to make something special for them for the next time they came.

As he walked into the Hammer and Tongs, he overheard Stephen talking with Julia.

“Maybe next time they come back, we can set them up with better lodgings. I know they said they were alright with sleeping on the floor in Magnus’ room, but they deserve better.”

“Yeah … It was so nice having more elves in the house though!” Julia smiles wistfully. “Though, I had a hard time telling who was who outside of the show. I felt so bad calling Lup by Taako’s name -”

“Oh! That’s easy!” Magnus chimed in with a grin. “Lup has dimples when she laughs whereas Taako doesn’t. Also, Lup always wears her hair up while Taako likes his hair down. Though, if they dyed their hair, that would probably make it easier …”

Julia and Stephen stared at him.  
  
“How …” Stephen started.

Magnus opened his mouth to respond but he realized he had no idea how he had been able to tell them apart.

Lup’s hair hadn’t even been up that often but … somehow he knew she wore hers up more.

He shook his head and laughed in spite of himself.

“I dunno,” he laughed. “I guess I’m just good with Sun Elves?”

He looked around the workshop, trying to distract himself as Julia and Stephen continued their conversation. He needed to go back to his original task. He needed to make something for the elves.

He took two twin blocks of wood and took them up to his room. As he sat down, he tried to ponder why Lup and Taako had felt so familiar. As he sat, he idly began to carve two ducks.

~

Barry sighed as he collected the blood from his body. He had gotten lucky, being able to gather his own blood. He would have to add something new to his instructions on the coin.

He quickly phased away from the mountain, knowing that he had to get back behind his wards. He couldn’t risk being caught just yet. He needed to find Lup.

He hovered around the maps. Lup hadn't been in the mountains. He couldn't imagine that she had travelled far from the last glassing, but she must have. She must have travelled as far away as possible.

It made sense, he supposed, but if that was the case, then now she was wandering, lost and alone, with an extremely dangerous weapon.

One she didn't remember making.

The thought chilled him to the bone. Would she still be resistant to the thrall of her own creation? Would she be safe from anyone else who might fall under its thrall?

He didn't want to think about that. He wanted to believe that she had hidden it. That she was somewhere safe.

That she remembered.

He began to plan a route. He would search the entire world if he had to.

He didn't care how long it took. How many bodies he created.

He would find her.

~

“Sorry, ma'am, but rules are rules and there's a new performance tax, instituted by Governor Kalen himself,” the human guard grinned.

The cart had been stopped on the road from Raven's Roost, Lup having taken the first shift of driving while Taako read through recipes in the back. Lup didn't want to disturb Taako, after all, she had dealt with asshole guards before, but she also wanted to make sure they could still come back to visit this town.

“Huh. That wasn't in the travel guide,” Lup hummed as she rifled through her coin purse. “How much is the tax?”

The guard laughed.

“Much more than in that little coin purse,” he grinned. “I'm sure you can afford the tax with all of the gold you made off of the village.”

“Lup, what's going on out there?” Taako called from inside the cart.

“Oh, uh … just need to pay the performance tax, Taako. Apparently it was instituted recently -”

Taako burst through the dividing curtain, peering out at the human guard.

“Um. That sounds like a lot of bullshit, m'dude,” he glowered. “We earned that money, fair and square and why would you need to tax visiting performers? Especially ones who feed your village better than -”

“Taako …” Lup warned, her ears flicking at him to say “We don't want to piss off a governor when we're just getting started.”

Taako grumbled and ducked inside the tent.

“It's sixty percent of your earnings,” the guard barked.

Taako wanted to come out and tell him off then and there. After the earnings were split, Taako was going to put that money towards his own, eventual schooling! He had to finish learning transmutation. He had to finish learning those runes.

“Oh … shit … well, ok,” Lup started. “I mean, money isn't really as important,” she smiled weakly as the guard stared her down impatiently.

“Come on, lady,” the guard growled. “I don’t have all day!”

“Um … my business partner is getting the money right now!” Lup shot back. “Uh … Taako?”

Taako stared at the money.

They could always earn more. They could earn more and Taako could find a place to hide his share so that the next time they came to this town (if they ever came back to this town), then they could at least have half of the money they’d earned stay safe.

Lup looked back at the guard. He was uncomfortably close now and eyeing her in such a way that she felt bile rise to her throat.

“Well, if you can’t pay with gold,” the guard began, grabbing her left hand roughly, “then maybe I can help myself to this ring! I’m sure it will pay for at least half of your tax!”

Lup felt sick as her heart hammered in her chest and her face flushed. She couldn’t give this ring up. She didn’t know where it came from or why she had it, but she knew she needed it. She knew someone had given it to her for some reason. It was her main source of comfort, even if it hurt to look at it for too long. She tried to snatch her hand back, feeling it grow hot with an internal fire that threatened to explode out at the guard.

“Hey!” A voice called out from down the road.

Lup spun around and froze.

At the end of the road stood a wall of a man. He was at least six feet tall and stocky with shaggy, dark blond hair. Glasses were perched on his nose and his bright blue eyes were narrowing in concern. Something about him sent pangs of grief through Lup’s heart. Grief that she couldn’t quite place.

She looked to the guard who went for his halberd.

“Who are you?” the guard growled.

“Better question is, why are you bothering her?” The man snapped back.

“Governor Kalen wanted me to collect the performance tax-”

The man laughed bitterly.

“Really? A performance tax? What, was it added last night?” The man stepped forward. “You know that your own town’s charter allows for a five day grace period after a new taxation law is passed, right?”

“Well -” the guard stammered.

Lup watched the man step closer and her heart hammered in her chest. Had she seen this man before? He seemed so familiar, but yet there was an itch in her brain. Something telling her that this wasn’t who she thought it was.

Which was a ridiculous thought because she had never met anyone like this man. She had never met a human who would be so willing to stand up to an armed guard for a pair of strange elves.

_I doubt Magnus would have stepped in for us_ , Lup thought, though she instantly felt ashamed for even thinking that about the carpenter who had welcomed them into his home.

“Lulu? Toril to Lulu?” Lup heard Taako shout in her ear, his copper hand waving in front of her face.

Lup blinked and noticed that the guard was gone. In his place was the kind human who had stepped in. He looked at the pair of elves and smiled.

“Sorry you had to deal with that asshole,” he laughed. “The name’s Sazed.”

“Taako,” Taako grinned, sticking out his hand, his ear twitching teasingly at Lup. “The stunned one here is my business partner, Lup. She forgot that it’s common courtesy to introduce herself to people.”

“Heh, I watched your show back there, actually,” Sazed started, rubbing the back of his neck. “I uh … I’ve been traveling around doing odd jobs and stuff and found myself in Raven’s Roost for a bit too long. I doubt I’m welcome back anytime soon now.”

“Fuck ‘em,” Taako laughed. “Hey, where are you heading? Maybe we can give you a ride?”

Lup blinked, tilting her head at Taako.

_“Um … What the hell, Koko?”_

_“Come on, we obviously need a bodyguard. Maybe we can convince him to stay on!”_

Lup looked back at Sazed who watched their secret conversation with confusion. Truth be told, she wanted him to join them. Something about him felt so familiar and safe, but at the same time, it felt wrong. She supposed it was just residual stress from their encounter with the guard but there was something else that she couldn’t put her finger on. Something about him just wasn’t right, even though he was definitely the type of human she had been historically attracted to.

Whatever it was, she was both pulled to and repulsed by Sazed.

She hated it.

“Where are you two headed?” Sazed asked as he climbed into the cart.

“Well, I asked you first,” Taako started, “but we have a show in Bottlenose Cove.”

“Do you mind if I come with?” Sazed started. “I was coming back into town from a rather unsuccessful hunt but, like I said, I’m probably not welcome back so …”

“Hell yeah!” Taako grinned. “You know, we could use someone like you to be tough and intimidating! Hey, Lulu? We’ve got a bodyguard now!”

“Well …” Sazed started.

Lup’s ears flattened.

Yep, she absolutely hated this.


	3. Drown an Unsung Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry forgets how to swim. Lup gives something a try. This chapter is cursed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since I posted a new chapter! Life got ahead of me haha. This chapter begins the cursed ship, but don't worry ... it doesn't last long!

The road to Bottlenose Cove was long, winding through small villages that Taako slowly added to their tour schedule. They couldn’t stop to do a proper show - there just wasn’t time - but they would come back eventually. In the meantime, Lup and Taako took turns whipping up quick and easy dishes to hand out samples at each town they stopped at while Sazed drove the cart.

At night, the elves would stay up, planning their debut at Bottlenose Cove while Sazed slept nearby.

“So, maybe our second show will be where we end with the stacked pies?” Taako asked, flicking his ears to Lup. _“Come on, Lup. Why are you giving the man such a hard time?”_

“Yeah … Should we go with a game meat pie at the bottom, a vegetable pie in the middle, and then a Fruit pie on top?” She pondered. _“I just feel weird around him. That’s all.”_

“Ok! So, if we’re doing fruit pies, we should definitely do a blind bake. Don’t want a soggy bottom,” Taako laughed as he sketched out the diagram for the pies. _“Seriously, Lup?"_

 _“Drop it,”_ Lup flattened her ears.

Taako sighed and continued sketching. “So Bottlenose Cove’s emblem is a dolphin. Should we do a seafood show on our last night and end with a dessert that showcases their emblem?”

“Sure,” Lup started, looking towards the cart. She flicked her ears towards the cart for a moment, listening for any sign that Sazed was awake before sighing. “Taako … Something about him is just painfully familiar …”

“Oh god, he’s not an ex of yours is he?” Taako asked. “I mean, if he is, we can go find another bodyguard-”

“No, no … I never actually … Taako, I feel like I know him somehow but at the same time … It’s like when we met except in this case when I try to figure it out, everything seems wrong. Like, my heart aches when I look at him but I don’t know why.”

“Fuck, Lup. You have a crush,” Taako sighed. “And it’s cool, I guess if you think you want to date Sazed.”

The words felt like acid as they slipped out of his mouth and for some reason, he couldn’t hold back the sudden feeling of wrongness. This wasn’t right but the words had already come out. He couldn’t rescind his blessing now. He didn’t want to hurt his …

His business partner. That was all she was and here he was trying to give her romantic advice as if she was a friend. As if she was family.

But wasn’t she? Even though they weren’t related, he felt a strong kinship with her. She was another Sun Elf, lost in the world without any family or home to call their own. Of course he would feel a closeness to her that he didn’t feel with anyone else.

He sighed.

“Are you sure, Taako?” Lup asked. “I mean, we’ve only known him for a couple of days but something about him …”

“Just make sure whatever you two do, you don’t do it in the cart!” Taako teased. “It’s gotta stay clean for our show!”

“Gross!” Lup teased back. “I’m not going to just bang him, Koko. I just … I dunno … Do you think I could even trust him? I mean, what if he’s ...”

Silence stretched between them for a moment.

“I mean, he can’t be that bad of a guy, right?” Taako started. “But hey, if he does anything to hurt you, I’ll blast him. I think I remember learning magic missile from one of my first jobs so if he’s an asshole to you then he can abra-ca-fuck-off!”

Lup giggled and the pair continued their work, the pair deciding just which recipes would best wow their dwarven audience.

~

Barry had found Bottlenose Cove to be a charming place. It was the perfect beach hideaway but something about the beach tugged at his heart.

Down the coastline, there were dwarves gathering for some sort of ceremony. He couldn't be bothered to try and scout them out. The coin hadn't said anything about dwarves.

He had been trying to figure out why he would tell himself to leave blood in the pod he had crawled out of. He vaguely remembered something about strange vats in college. Probably from a prank he'd been the victim of when he was in his first of many years. It kind of reminded him of a prank he had distantly remembered.

A shriek shook him out of his thoughts.

“Oh my Gods! Mavis!”

Barry looked down the beach to see a dwarven woman running towards the ocean, her dress billowing behind her as she tried to run for someone who was thrashing out in the ocean.

Barry looked out to see a young dwarven child thrashing about in the water. He looked back at the woman. There was no way she would be able to swim out there without being pulled under by the currents.

Without thinking, Barry ran in after the child. He got most of the way into the water before he realized he didn’t actually know what he was doing. The child’s cries spurred him on, however, and so he kicked and splashed his way to her, growing more and more exhausted as he paddled out to her. When he finally reached the child, he pulled her in close and started for the shore.

He could see the dwarves on the beach and pushed until his arms and legs burned with exhaustion. He had to get her to the shore. He had to save this child.

Something grabbed onto his leg and he nearly lost her. He was so close!

He looked at the dwarven child and pushed her towards the shore as hard as he could before taking in a gulp of air and plunging into to water to try and free himself. He blinked at the salt water, trying to see what the offending object was, only to see that it was simply a tangle of seaweed.

His lungs burned as he worked to free his leg  
He needed air but he also needed to break free. He tugged as his body grew weaker and his brain sent every signal it could to try and get him out of danger.

His fingers slipped but that was all he needed to wrench himself free of the seaweed. He tried to surface only to feel the strong pull of the tide, dragging him out into the sea. He struggled in vain, trying to right himself in the turbulent water.

He never saw the rock that bashed his skull open.

With a crackle of lightning, Barry rose out of the ocean. He looked out at the beach to see the dwarven woman checking her daughter over. Next to her stood a familiar dwarf. Barry would know him anywhere.

He wanted to go to him, but he knew he couldn't. Merle wouldn't recognize him. He would never know Barry had even been there.

He left before Merle could see him. He still had a lot of work to do if he was going to find Lup.

Just as he left, the first fliers for Sizzle It Up With Taako and Lup were hung.

~

He had not planned on falling in love so quickly, but he supposed it was perfectly understandable. Elves were, of course, known for their ethereal beauty but something about these Sun Elves …

Especially Lup.

Sazed had never seen elves like Lup or Taako before. They had claimed they were Sun Elves, but he had met Sun Elves before and Lup and Taako were nothing like them. Most Sun Elves were tall, willowy beings with golden hair, short ears, and haughty personalities. While the pair did occasionally act aloof, they were much friendlier than any Sun Elves he had met. They didn’t care if you were a human, an elf, a dwarf, a gnome, or a dragonborn. Everyone was worthy of their time and everyone was graced with the elves’ larger than life personalities.

Unlike the lightly bronzed Sun Elves he had known, Lup and Taako were a much richer, darker bronze than even the most sun kissed elves that he had seen in Raven’s Roost, with flecks of golden freckles sprinkling their faces in just the right light. They were shorter than any Sun Elves he had met and neither elf was willowy or slender. Lup and Taako were plump and happy and both elves had flatter noses and much fuller lips than any of the elves Sazed had known. Their copper eyes would twinkle in the sunlight and then glow in the dark at night - something he had only ever seen with the few Drow that had left the Underdark.

They were the most beautiful beings he had ever met.

Especially Lup.

When she would laugh, sometimes she would shake her head, letting her dark curls bounce as if to accentuate her laughter. Her long ears would flick expressively in a way he had never seen any elf’s ears work before. Everything about her was perfection.

He had to admit that he was first a little smitten with her when he had seen their show in Raven’s Roost, but he had simply resigned himself to the thought that they would be gone and it would be months, even years until he saw her beautiful face again.

And now? Now he was with her every day.

Even more, her cold demeanor had started to melt away over the years, revealing that the elf did care. That she could be capable of loving someone.

Of maybe loving him.

Lup had noticed, of course. How could she not? He was so kind to her and on nights when she woke from horrific nightmares that her mind couldn’t explain, he was there to comfort her. He was understanding and he didn’t judge her. She hadn’t been in love before, as far as she could remember, but as the days, weeks, and months passed she began to wonder.

Was this what love felt like?

When her mind would drift to the thought, her eyes would be drawn to the ring on her left hand. She never knew how she had gotten it and as far as she knew, no one had given it to her. She would have remembered if she’d had some long lost lover. She knew it didn’t belong to her mother. She hadn’t worn rings that she could remember.

Every time she almost brought up the subject with Sazed, however, something blocked her. Something about telling him how she felt seemed so wrong. As if by doing it, she was going to hurt … someone.

She hated to put this on her business partner, but Taako was the only person she truly trusted. At the same time, she could tell that he had the same unease about Lup acknowledging her feelings about Sazed. Even though Sazed was kind, he was still their bodyguard. He still was their employee.

“That's not it, Lulu,” Taako insisted the night before their triumphant return to Raven’s Roost. “I guess it's just … You're the closest thing to family that I've ever had and if he hurt you …”

“Yeah … I've been worried about that too,” Lup sighed as she prepared the ingredients for the next morning's show. “But … he hasn't yet. It's been a year and he knows just about everything he needs to about me and … he’s still here. Taako, the other day, he actually made my tea the way I like it, like with the lavender and honey -”

“Well, that's kind of his job, Lup,” Taako sighed.

“I know but … he did it without me even asking. Like, he just knew that I'd had that nightmare again, the one with the darkness, and he just … he was there with my tea.”

“So that's what does it for you, huh? Tea?” Taako teased.

“No,” Lup retorted, sticking out her tongue. “It's just … maybe I should try this … see if it works out. And if not then, well, I've learned.”

Silence stretched between them.

“He’s also human,” Taako reminded her.

“Yeah … I guess that kinda makes it easier, huh? We'll only have a few decades, if that.”

Taako laughed bitterly.

“Yeah … so, you're going to go for it?”

“Maybe …”

They continued to work in silence and Lup wondered if she was truly doing the right thing. The ring on her left hand felt heavy but she refused to look at it.

She needed to do what was best for her.

Even if it felt wrong.

~

A lot can happen in three years.

Lup and Taako knew this, of course. The passage of time was most obvious to long lived creatures like elves. Regardless, being greeted by Magnus, looking a little older and with a few more scars was unsettling. They didn’t know why they had expected him to just stay frozen in time, like they had seen him before, but seeing their favorite human carpenter looking three years older felt … wrong.

In three years, Magnus had improved amazingly in his carpentry. He had, of course, presented the pair with the wooden ducks he had made for them. Something tore at the pair as they looked over their ducks. This was familiar, but they didn’t know why. Something about the wooden ducks felt like home.

If they didn’t know better, they would have believed them to be enchanted.

Magnus showed off the spare room he and Stephen had worked on. He showed off the beautifully crafted beds that Julia had built. He showed off the dressers, the chairs, the tables.

And then he closed the bedroom door behind them with a soft click.

“I uh … A lot’s happened, guys,” Magnus started. He looked over at Sazed who shifted uncomfortably. “Sazed, you know as well as I do now how … How stressful life actually is here. Ever since you left we uh … we haven’t had that many traveling shows brought in. In fact, I’m sure you saw that you had to pay a tax coming in. You’ll have to do it coming out as well … If they don’t take everything you earn.” Magnus sighed.

“Wait. So, that ass who stopped us last time we were here-” Lup asked, her ears pinned down in anger.

“Yeah …” Magnus sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Governor Kalen has been raising taxes pretty steadily. I wish I could say it was for something good, like repairing the fishing district’s docks or repaving the roads but … Well, he’s just been adding onto his mansion and we think he’s been hoarding the money. And there’s not much we can do about it.”

“Bullshit!” Taako yelled. “Vote his ass out!”

“It’s uh ...It’s not really a democracy here, Taako,” Magnus sighed. “Sure, we’ve had elections since you’ve been gone but we’re all pretty sure they’re rigged. Just uh … I wanted to give you a heads up. It’s kind of led to things getting tight around here. But …”

“Mags,” Lup started. “Are you sure we can’t help you at all with this asshat?”

Magnus chuckled, sadly.

“No. We’ll be alright. I uh … I also wanted to tell you something else … Get your opinion on this.”

Magnus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden box.

“I uh … I won’t be able to give her this for a while. Not until things get more stable but I carved this and … Do you think Julia will like it?” Magnus asked, opening the box.

Inside was a ring, carved out of polished mahogany. In the center of the band was the kind face of a bear, wooden eyes sparkling as if they were made from polished gems.

“Holy shit,” Taako breathed. “Magnus …”

“You guys were right. We uh … A lot has happened in three years,” he laughed nervously.

Lup looked to Sazed.

Yes. A lot could happen in three years. She knew this for a fact as she stared at the human who listened as Magnus continued on.

In three years, tyrant could show the world his true colors.

A friend could make a name for himself.

Someone could fall in love.

~

She was dazzling as she pulled out her umbrella and cast mage hand to pour the sherry while simultaneously casting flame, the fire drizzling down onto the steak that sat on the plate.

“So, supposedly this was named for the goddess of the hunt, but I’m pretty sure that it’s really named for this human woman, Diane, who first made this in a dive bar by accident when she was pouring someone’s drink out too close to the fire and it got all over their meal. But hey! It’s a great showpiece and she only lost a few hit points in the ensuing fight! Now, all of these dishes use cantrips so you don’t even need to waste a spell slot on them! And if you can’t use magic, then a simple match will work!”

Sazed knew he needed to be watching the crowd, but he couldn’t help but stare as Lup glowed in the fire. The golden flecks on her skin were ethereal as she beamed at the crowd, showing off her plate.

“Alright, I have some samples up here that you can nibble on while we work on the Bananas Foster!” Lup laughed. “Be sure to save room though! We’ve got a lot of samples this time!”

Sazed would have to wait until after the finale.

He had wanted to bring it up to her for a long time, but he never had the chance. He often had to work the merchandise table (a foreign concept on Faerun) or make sure the area was safe and so by the time Lup and Taako were done with their show, they were so wiped out that he couldn't talk with Lup.

Talking to Magnus and Julia had made him realize he needed to say something. He needed to tell her.

He needed to know.

As soon as their finale was finished, Sazed whisked Lup away, pretending to not notice the strange ear flicking she and Taako did as she went with him.

His heart was pounding. He wasn’t sure what he would do if she rejected him. She wasn’t sure what she would say when he told her how he felt. He had thought there was a chemistry between them but the more she fiddled with her hands as he sat down across from her in the cart, the more he worried.

“Um …” He started, “I guess I should uh … tell you something.”

Lup bit her lip. The nervousness he showed - it reminded her of … something. Her mind wouldn’t let her hold onto the thought for more than a moment. She knew this was inevitable. She had told herself as much as she had started allowing herself to get closer to the human.

She couldn’t ignore, however, the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was just so incredibly wrong about all of this, but she couldn’t think of any logical reason why.

“Lup,” Sazed started. “I know you’ve had a lot of reasons not to trust people … not to trust humans but … I … Lup, I want you to know that …”

Why couldn’t he just say it? Why couldn’t he tell her how he felt? He had been falling deeper and deeper in love with her but she felt so out of reach.

“Sazed … I think I know what you’re trying to say,” Lup sighed. “And … I want to. I really do. I just … Sazed, I’m worried. I’m worried about what would happen if this all went bad. I’m worried …”

I’m worried that this is the wrong choice.

“Lup, it’s alright! I promise, if … Wait …” Sazed paused and gently took her hand. “Do you?”

Lup nodded.

“I just … I need to go slow, alright?” Lup asked, her ears twitching. “I mean, I won’t go too slow. I know you humans don’t live very long but I also can’t … you know … At least, not right away.”

Sazed nodded.

“Of course, Lup. However long you need.”

Lup smiled up at him, her golden eyes meeting his blue eyes. A part of her wanted to pull him in close, to kiss him tenderly.

But it didn’t feel right to do it. Not yet at least.

Instead, they talked well into the night, Lup ignoring the gnawing at her soul and the heaviness of the ring on her finger. They talked about their childhoods, about cooking, about magic …

About each other.

Lup didn’t want to think she was truly falling in love. She didn’t want to get her hopes up only for them to be dashed later.

This felt pretty close.


	4. You Think We Look Pretty Good Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup starts to have second thoughts. Barry comes up with another plan. Taako and Lup visit the Underdark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise, there is only one more chapter of the cursed ship and then it's done! Because the next chapter is Glamour Springs! :D

Barry knew it had been six years. Six years of searching, dying, waiting, forgetting, and searching again. A constant, tormenting cycle.

If he didn’t hold onto the hope, the belief that he would find Lup again, then he would completely lose his composure. He would lose everything that made him Barry.

He had already felt some of the signs. He had become more volatile each time that he left a body. It was becoming harder and harder to hold onto his form and it was becoming harder getting his voice together enough to record a message onto his coin.

He hadn't killed anyone after killing the Gerblins when he first found this crypt, but he wasn't sure how long that would last. He was growing desperate with each month, each year that he couldn't find her. He had even left the continent and explored areas that others dared not to venture. If she wasn't in Faerun, then she had to be somewhere else on Aber-Toril. She had to be.

He couldn't let himself fall into despair. He couldn't allow himself to believe that she was just gone.

That thought, those words … they triggered the memory of forgetting. Of feeling the memory of her smile, her laugh, her face just slipping away into nothingness. It was always there when he re-entered his body, but it went quicker. He had learned to relax into it when he was returning to a physical form.

When he was outside of a body, however, the pain of remembering those moments where he realized he was forgetting her became too much to bear. He knew that without any sign of her, his hold on his sanity was liable to snap.

He couldn't afford that. he couldn't afford to lose himself.

If they reset, would there be anything left to reunite with Lup?

He had to hold on. He had to keep on this lonely quest.

His latest body was almost ready. He had to record his message and prepare for forgetting all over again. It was worse than remembering. With remembering, the painful weight he felt would go away. Sure the grief was heavy and incomprehensible, but the emptiness of forgetting was much, much worse.

“She hid a very powerful weapon, but I don’t know where it is. I don’t know where she is but she may know … Barry, I’m sorry … I … I wish I had more for you to go on. I really do. She’s been gone for six years and … I just don’t know where she would have gone. Where she would have hidden …”

  
He sighed and continued.

“The Sun Elves of Faerun don’t look like you remember Sun Elves looking like, Barry, so if you ask about Sun Elves, you won't find her. They’re different. Fareun’s Sun elves’ ears are short and they're these thin, willowy beings who aren't huge fans of humans … If you find her, she may still have a body. You’ll know her the moment you see her, I just know it … She’s beautiful, Barry. She’ll take your breath away when you see her and …”

The ring.

“She might be wearing a ring. It’s a golden band with a purple gem … You probably won’t see that gem anywhere else. It’s not a very common one here. And her smile will warm your heart when you see her. She …”

Barry stared at the coin. He hadn’t talked about Lup this much in his message before and there was a chance …

He grabbed a chain that he had kept since their eighty-second cycle. He'd made a ring to match Lup's and had hidden it on a chain as soon as they had landed on this world. For when they had a home. For when they …

He was no longer in the crypt. He was in a boat on a still lake in a world long gone. Across from him sat Taako, bored out of his mind and staring at a fishing pole.

_“You know there aren't any fish right?” Taako complained._

_“Yeah,” Barry chuckled. “But it's nice, you know? I mean, I get to hang out for a day with my … my brother.”_

_“Hey now. While you're dating my sister and all you don't get to call me that until you two actually tie the knot,” Taako joked._

_Barry’s smile wavered. If this didn't work …_

_“That's uh … that's part of why we're out here, actually.” Barry started, rubbing the back of his neck. “I uh … I wanted to get your opinion on something.”_

_Taako froze, ears pricked up._

_“Oh shit! Are … I mean, we don't even know what kind of future we'll have -”_

_“I know,” Barry started. “But I was kind of playing around with some jewel smithing. I found some books on it and some materials and … kinda got some crystals from where the planes intersected and … well,” Barry produced two rings that were stacked upon each other. “I'm going to wear mine around my neck. I kinda felt a little silly doing this but … but I wanted the symbol as well. I … I want to propose to her, Taako. Even if we don't get married for another century I just … I want to spend forever with her.”_

_Barry hoped that Taako hadn't noticed the tears that were pricking his eyes or the wavering of his voice. If he had, the elf never said anything about it._

_“Well, I know she'll love it, Barry and … I guess you're allowed to call me your brother,” Taako snickered. “Now, come on. Enough mushy stuff. Let's go back to not catching any fish.”_

Barry shook himself out of his memories.

“There’s a necklace with a ring on it, Barry added. “Wear it so you have something to go by if you see an elf with that same ring … If you’ve been able to hear this at all, then … Then you’ll be able to find her. If not …”

If not, then he was almost out of options.

Six years. It had been six years of searching and waiting. Six years of wondering if he would ever see her again.

If he would ever see any of them again.

~

Taako had noticed a change in Lup over the past three years.

He didn’t want to say anything at first, not wanting to cause any issues with his relationship with his business partner, but he noticed that she was slowly losing the spark of excitement that had reminded him of home.

She was cautious now and often didn't try to flick her ears in conversation with him unless they were onstage and even then it was only to coordinate the next bit of their show. She wasn't the fiery elf he knew. She was changing.

He didn't want to believe it was because of Sazed.

He had also noticed that some nights, Lup would whimper softly in the partitioned spot in the cart that she had begun to share with Sazed. Usually it was after Sazed had left their makeshift room, an air of frustration surrounding him. When he would return the next morning, he would reek of alcohol or on the mornings after Lup's lonely whimpers were particularly distressing, perfume that definitely did not belong to either elf.

Taako wanted to say something but he was too wracked with guilt. He had insisted that Sazed travel with them. He encouraged Lup to pursue her feelings.

He was the one who gave his blessing.

And who was he anyway to Lup? He was a business partner. Nothing more.

~

Ren had gone to the first show with her big brother. She was not yet an adult in Drow terms, but she often dreamed of leaving the Underdark. She knew, of course, that there was a life outside of here, but it was hard when you spent so much of your life away from the sun. It was even harder when even other elves looked down on you. When rumors of a curse being the reason for your people living underground circulated through the whole of Aber-Toril.

Sometimes, it was easy to believe they weren't rumors.

Hearing that a pair of Sun Elves were doing a show in the Underdark left her skeptical. She had assumed it would be something that was meant to belittle the Drow - something to shove in their faces why elven society in general had abandoned them.

Then Brian told her it was a cooking show.

The first show, she and Brian were in the back. They were barely able to see the action from their seats, but she caught a glimpse of Taako on the stage and gasped.

He wasn't like any sun elf she had ever imagined. Not once did he belittle the Drow or make fun of their cuisine. Not once did he say anything disparaging about his hosts.

And then the other elf joined him and she couldn't help but notice how much they looked like each other.

Perhaps it was wishful thinking. Perhaps it was projection.

She really wanted to believe that these elves were brother and sister, just like herself and Brian.

The second show, she was able to sit much closer. She held onto her ticket for Row D, Seat seventeen. She was entranced as she watched the two Sun Elves create a delicious basket of croissants, a pan au lait, and of course, a show-stopping Quiche Lorraine. She had to meet these elves after the show. She had to learn more about them. These weren't Sun Elves as she knew them.

They were now her inspiration.

Lup had been whisked away at the end of the show, their bodyguard wanting to talk to her for some reason, so only Taako remained to talk with his fans. He was glowing from the praise, absolutely radiant as he signed posters and handed out shirts to the excited Drow that gathered around him.

Ren was, understandably, very nervous. She had never spoken to a Sun Elf before. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing or come across as too eager, but she also wanted him to know that she looked up to him.

That she wanted to be just like him one day.

“Come on, darling,” Brian started, trying to drag Ren away. “He’s obviously very busy and our mother is going to be quite worried -”

“Hey there! You forgot to come get an autograph!” Taako called out. “There’s plenty of Taako to go around!”

Ren snapped around. He was looking at her.

He was talking to her!

“Come on over!” Taako beckoned.

Ren broke away from Brian, running towards Taako as the crowd started to mosey away from the impromptu stage.

“You were here last night, too, huh?” Taako grinned, leaning over the table. “How was our rothe steak last night? I mean, people were saying it was good but how did it compare to everything else? I’ve only cooked rothe once before and I totally mucked it up the first time, but Lulu was insistent we try it because … Oh here I go just babbling on,” Taako laughed. “Did we do a good job with it?”

“I … You want to know what I thought?” Ren asked.

“Of course! You’re obviously an elf with good taste, so I want to know if I did the local cuisine any justice.”

Ren beamed.

“It was awesome, Mr. Taako!” She grinned.

“Please, just Taako. Mr. Taako is my father’s name,” Taako grinned.

“Sorry! Just … your show was so good and it really means a lot to us that you came down here! We uh … we don't get a lot of visitors so …”

“Well, I've been loving the Underdark,” Taako smiled. And he truly did mean it. Sure it wasn't like his other tour stops but he felt like folks actually enjoyed themselves at their shows. He didn't understand Sazed's trepidation when Taako had booked the show, but Lup's excitement let him know that there wasn't any reason to actually worry.

And meeting Ren, a fan who was so truly excited, had been the icing on the cake. Taako loved the spectacle and he loved when others appreciated it.

He was about to speak again when a voice lifted over like a song.

“Ren! Ren, we've got to head back!”

Brian made his way over to the table and froze.

Sure, seeing Taako onstage had been one thing but seeing him in front of him, talking so sweetly to his sister and just being a nice guy was a whole different thing altogether. Here was this elven celebrity just chatting up a fan.

And he was very, very attractive.

Taako looked up and grinned at the tall, thin Drow that stood before him. He could tell the Drow was enraptured with him - who wouldn’t be - and if he was honest with himself, he was quite taken by the elf’s looks himself. He didn’t quite remember Drow being as tall as the ones he had seen in the Underdark, but hey, it had been a long time since he had seen any Drow!

“H-hey,” Brian started.

“Hey yourself,” Taako purred. “Saw you yesterday too.”

Brian had never heard an elf purr before, but it sent shivers down his spine.

“Yeah, I was just here with my sister …” Brian smiled. “She uh … we both really liked your show.”

Ren looked back and forth between Taako and Brian and sighed.

“Come on, bro. At least get his stone of farspeech frequency.”

Brian's dark skin flushed as Taako grinned.

~

Lup had tried to not upset Sazed. She knew this wasn't fair. Three years together and she still couldn't let him get past kissing her. Each time she tried, her soul felt as if it was being ripped in half. Each time she tried, her heart would hammer in her chest and she would have to back away and apologize tearfully.

She hadn’t even wanted to go with him tonight. She had been excited to get to know the Drow in the Underdark. It had been so long since she had been able to hang out with any Drow and now that she had the opportunity, she was being whisked away to spend time with her boyfriend.

She couldn’t say anything, of course. She already had prepared herself for the discomfort when he tried to hold her or kiss her. She was ready for the discomfort of sitting near him as they ate their dinner. And she knew that she couldn’t give him what he wanted. She didn’t want to start another argument.

She didn't know why she couldn't do this. Why she couldn't break down this mental block. Nothing made sense. He said he loved her no matter what but doubts were creeping in. She had felt the frustration and more nights than not, he had left their cart trying to hold back anger - anger that she knew was meant for her. She had noticed that some mornings, he came back with scents that made her stomach turn.

But he was human and he had needs. Needs that she wasn't fulfilling so she had to be ok with this, right?

She couldn’t even voice her real reasons to him. She didn’t even know what they were. She was finding herself struggling to even open up to him more in conversation. She was beginning to dread times spent alone with him, but she couldn’t tell him that. She felt guilty, holding onto him this long

He was a human and she was not letting their relationship progress in a way he would like. She wouldn’t talk with him about a future away from life on the road. She couldn’t do it. To do so felt as if she was betraying someone. Possibly him - after all, she couldn’t imagine a stationary, sedentary life. She couldn’t imagine living in a house with him, sharing their home, building a future.

And would he let Taako come with her? Probably not. She could tell that tension had started to build between the two of them as well. It hurt her to see it. She loved Sazed, as far as she thought, but she couldn’t imagine life without her business partner.

This wasn’t the life for a human, however. It was unfair to him. He would only have a few more decades at the most, and here she was taking her time to truly commit to him. There were things that she couldn’t let herself do that she knew was a sign to others that elves loved them. She couldn’t press her head to his or rub her cheek along his face to let him know she thought of him as hers. She couldn’t slowly close her eyes to tell him and barely could make herself purr at him.

Not that he seemed to understand elvish anyway. It was just another thing that she couldn’t share with him. Another thing he wouldn’t understand

So she prepared herself for him to leave the cart once again after an awkward dinner. After she cleaned up her plate and went to their partitioned area to try and meditate.

After he tried to plant kisses along the base of her neck.

She knew where this would lead and so she braced herself, wondering why she didn’t just tell him to leave.

At least he had never physically hurt her. At least he still returned. He still would hold her if he was in the cart and she was having a nightmare.

The nightmares had grown more and more frequent as well as more impossible to explain. Nightmares of losing Taako, of losing Sazed. Nightmares of her life on the road.

Nightmares of static.

Tonight was another night where she couldn't let him get too close. She had tried, Oghma knows she tried, but she broke down into tears as soon as he started to pull down her skirt.

She tried to rationalize it. She hadn't had the bottom runes done and didn't know how he would truly react, even though he had told her many times that he didn't care. She had so much missing memory and didn't know if she even knew what to do. She was scared. She felt wrong.

And tonight, she expected him to leave, again.

But instead, he held her close and rocked her softly. She couldn't think when he was with her. She couldn't let her mind wander to the real reason she shut down.

The reason that she was too afraid to face.

He was not the one, even though she had at first thought he was.

He reminded her of someone who she had never met.

But that wasn't who he was.

~

Ren wished that Taako could stay, if only for the smile he put on her brother’s face when they sat together for breakfast. She wished he could stay so he could continue to brighten the Underdark.

But he had a tour to complete and fans to see. He promised he would write. He promised he would come back to visit some day.

Ren wanted to stay and wait for him, but something about Taako’s willingness to come back to the Underdark stirred something within her.

After she and Brian waved goodbye to Taako and Lup, Ren returned to their home and ran to her room. She grabbed a bag and began to pack as many of her belongings as she could fit. She found a pair of dark colored glasses, a hat, a scarf, and her father’s wand. She didn’t tell Brian or her mother where she was going. They would be too worried. She didn’t even want to leave a note, but she figured it would only be polite. She hastily wrote a note on a scrap of paper and left it on the kitchen counter before taking her bag and running down the road that Taako and Lup had left on.

For if a Sun Elf could come to the Underdark, then she could spend the rest of her days in the sun.

~

Barry sat in a tavern in Neverwinter. His head ached from listening to the message he had recorded for himself so he turned to an old comfort to quiet his staticky mind. He had always been able to calm himself down with some liquor, a common defense mechanism in his youth, so he assumed that this would be the remedy where nothing else was.

Why would he leave himself such a poorly recorded message? There had been so much static and it had been physically painful to listen to the message. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking for. All he knew was that he was missing something important. It left a crushing weight on his chest, but his message to himself had been so garbled that he couldn’t even begin to decipher it.

He sighed and swirled around his brandy, absentmindedly. There was a brand he liked, the name long forgotten, but this certainly wasn’t it.

He looked over down the bar to see a man flipping through a book, his brow furrowed as he grew increasingly frustrated.

“Hey bud,” Barry started. “Need something to calm you down? I’ve got … some gold and can buy you a drink.”

“Huh?” the man asked as he looked up. “Oh, no. I need to cut back. I uh … Hey, you look like an intelligent man. Maybe you can help.”

Barry chuckled.

“Just ‘cause I wear glasses, that doesn’t mean I’m a nerd.”

The man smirked before producing a piece of paper.

“So, I’ve been with this elf and I’ve noticed she wears this ring and well, I want to add to it to maybe, I dunno … Get our relationship to the next level. But the thing is, I have no clue what that stone is. Like, I would ask her but I don’t want to spoil it if I can get her a ring and -”

Barry took the piece of paper from the man and stared at it. It wasn’t that the drawing was poorly done or that the ring looked overly complicated. It was that his mind was trying to remember something about that ring but it kept hitting a wall. He shook his head for a moment and then blinked, focusing on the drawing of the purple stone in the center.

“Huh …” Barry started. “That’s … That’s Tanzanite.”

“Tanzanite?”

“Yeah,” Barry started. “I’ve seen it once, I think … Maybe in a museum? God … I know it’s that though … I think I’ve seen it on …”

Barry blinked rapidly, trying to stop the static and pain that was filling his mind. Something about this stone. Something about this ring … was it … he was wearing a ring on a chain around his neck and that word had come up so many times in the message-

“Thanks,” the man smiled at Barry, placing a hand on his shoulder. “She seems to really care about that ring so this will be a nice addition.”

“Y-yeah,” Barry stammered out. “Um … I’m sure she’ll the happiest elf in Faerun.”

He watched as the man left the tavern and returned to his drink. The static in his brain was overwhelming, as usual, but the weight in his chest was heavier than it had ever been.

He found himself ordering a few more drinks, progressively losing the weight in his chest and the static in his brain. It was temporary, of course, but at least he would be able to drag himself out of the Tavern and back to the inn. He paid his tab and started out.

He hadn’t realized how much he had drank until he got outside. His vision was blurred and he found it difficult to keep his steps steady.

He didn’t hear the three half-orcs until it was too late.

Barry was mercifully knocked unconscious. He didn’t remember what had happened until he found himself hovering over his body, watching the trio of half-orcs ransack his corpse. He started to raise his arms, preparing to cast a low level spell to scare them off, when he saw the trio freeze in terror.

“Oh shit!” One of the half-orcs shouted. “Quick! Hide him and we’ll come back for him later!”

The three half-orcs carried Barry’s body over toward a pile of crates, stashing him away before they scurried down the alley..

Barry waited before sinking down to his body to search for his necklace. He needed to make sure he could get the ring back. He would need it for the next time.

When his skeletal fingers brushed against his body’s chest, his heart sank.

The chain and the ring was gone.

He was about to tear down the alley, hoping he could catch up to the half-orcs when he heard footsteps. He sank back behind the crates and waited.

~

Sazed had scoured the city for Tanzanite. He couldn't believe that it was this rare of a gem, but apparently it was.

Apparently, Lup had the only one in existence.

He was about to give up hope until a sparkling object caught his eye at the back of an alley. It wasn't too far from the tavern where he had met the denim clad man who had given him the helpful advice. Sazed ran down the alley and bent down to look at the object and gasped.

Dangling from a simple, golden chain was a ring with a small, sparkling Tanzanite in the center.

He compared it to the drawing of Lup's ring and smiled, pocketing the ring.

It was a perfect match and would interlock wonderfully.

He left the alley, unaware that he was being watched.

Barry hovered over the pile of crates. On the one hand, the man from the tavern walking past across the street had been enough to scare the ruffians away.

Unfortunately, that same man had come back and taken the chain with the ring.

Taken it for the elf who had a matching ring.

Red lightning crackled around Barry's fingers as he fought to stay stable.

_Lup._

The man had been talking about Lup.

That was the only logical explanation. The only one that involved Lup still being alive. That didn't involve her meeting a similar fate. Being trapped in her staff.

Being hunted by the Raven Queen.

He wanted to tear the world apart. He had been searching and hunting and if she was alive, then she had forgotten and …

And she would never remember if he didn't try to find a way to fix it.

He calmed himself, not wanting to draw attention before he lowered to the ground. He needed to get back to his crypt. He needed to check on om his next body and record a new message.

He needed to be calm. The man had never said that Lup was the elf he was seeing. And even if she was the elf he was talking about, it wasn't her fault. She didn't have a coin that told her what she needed to know.

He hated to think what had happened six years ago. Had she hidden the gauntlet and then forgotten? Had she even found it?

Had she been wandering alone?

He couldn't think about that. He needed to focus on his next move.

There was only one other person who would remember. Who would be able to help.

But he had no idea where she was.

~

When Lup awoke on their last day of restocking in Neverwinter, she was greeted with the smell of bacon sizzling outside of the cart. Her ears twitched nervously as she slid out of the cot and made her way out. Something about the smell set off alarms in her brain. It was so familiar but also so wrong. It was as if a distant memory was being overwritten. Something positive being melted away.

Perhaps it was because she knew what Taako's breakfasts smelled like and this wasn't it.

She stepped out of the partitioned room and exited the cart with caution, looking around for any signs of danger.

Instead, she saw Sazed at their small camp stove, looking through a recipe book while cooking. Something about the scene tore at her heart. It was perfect and wrong all at once.

She stood, frozen in her tracks as she watched him dish up the plates of bacon and eggs. He turned to look at her and smiled.

“Sorry I woke you,” he started. “I wanted it to be a surprise. I uh … I followed your ‘Best Breakfast Ever’ recipe as much as I could though I couldn't find the buttermilk for pancakes. But I could probably do that in our next town … I… I know things have been rough and we've had … issues but I don't want you to think I don't love you. That I don't see us as something more.”

Lup's heart pounded in her chest. She had been doubting their relationship, doubting if he was the one for her, but now …

Sazed handed Lup her plate and Lup felt her heart nearly shatter.

She wasn't sure why it was so painful to see a gold band with the same stone that she had on her own ring on it, but she couldn't keep the tears that pricked her eyes from spilling out.

This was everything a woman should want - for the most important person in her life to want to make this commitment for the rest of their short life. She knew she was lucky. She had found someone who loved her as herself, no matter what. That was what he always told her.

But she felt so very wrong as she slipped the ring onto her finger, the stones on the rings interlocking perfectly.

She looked up at Sazed. She couldn't tell him that she would be his forever, that she could see them having a future together. She couldn't accept this ring from him.

But if not him, then who else would have her?


	5. Love Ain't For Keeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry sees some familiar faces. Lucretia still searches. Raven's Roost falls and a fateful show takes place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, this is it! The last chapter with the cursed ship! Thank you for all of the kudos and comments!!

Lucretia had found Magnus easily. Still in Raven's Roost, now happily married. It was what he deserved, after losing his true home.

His relic still eluded her.

She had also found Merle, albeit not where she left him. He was a shell of the warm, happy dwarf she had known. And it was her fault.

And she couldn't find the sash.

Barry was impossible to find and she was about to give up. But if she found him, would he be able to face what his relic had done? She hadn't even been able to claim it, for all she had wagered.

And then she saw the flyer for Sizzle it Up with Taako and Lup.

Her mind raced, wondering how they had found each other. Wondering if they had somehow remembered.

But watching their show in Phandalin told her everything she needed to know.

She had taken away everything. They didn't even know they were twins.

And even worse, Lup looked miserable. Of course she did, without Barry.

At the end of one show, Lucretia saw the weight of what she had done to her friend as a human man, the pair's bodyguard, whisked away the clearly uncomfortable Lup.

Whisked her away and kisses her roughly.

Lucretia knew that if Barry learned of this, he would never forgive her now. She had split them up. She had separated them from their anchors.

And if Barry was roaming the world as a lich, then their friendship was as good as over.

She wanted to go to Lup and bring her back to the hidden Starblaster. She wanted her to remember.

But then what? She still had no idea where Barry was and if Lup didn't survive remembering …

She turned away and headed back to the Miller lab. She had to put her other plan into action. It was time to make Aber-Toril forget that there was only one moon.

~

Lup stared down at the stacked rings on her finger.

She had taken to doing this many times over the last year. She wanted to tear off the one Sazed gave her and throw it back at him. Tell him that if he wasn’t going to be patient, that if he wasn’t going to understand, that it wasn’t worth it.

But to tear off that ring… There was something that kept her from doing it. It was a weight that reminded her of the dread she felt every time she kissed Sazed. If she were to tear off either ring now, it would be as if she was betraying…someone…

She hadn’t asked Sazed where he had gotten the other ring, but she wished she had. Something about the design had matched hers so perfectly, but she had never seen the design anywhere in Faerun. She had never seen the stone or anything like it.

But Sazed somehow had found a perfectly matching ring with the same stone. That meant he did love her, right?

Even though he had grown frustrated. Even though he had left, once again, to possibly take care of those frustrations… again.

She didn’t know why she stayed. Why she didn’t just push him away. It would have been easier. It would have been safer.

She stared at the ring.

Maybe soon…

She was thankful that Sazed didn't seem to understand the body language component of the elvish she and Taako spoke. If he had, he would have noticed that she had still never slowly blinked her eyes when she had told him she loved him. Oh she had tried, but it felt too forced. It felt like something she just couldn't do for him.

She wanted to talk to Taako about it but he had grown distant. This was what hurt more than anything. The only person she trusted more that Sazed and he was upset with her now too. He had never said as much, of course, but she knew. How could he not be upset with her? It was causing tension and impacting the show.

She told herself over and over that she would try again tomorrow. That she would try to let him express his feelings the way he wanted.

But she doubted that day would ever happen.

~

Barry stumbled out of the brackish liquid, his head pounding as he tried to take in his surroundings. He staggered forward in the direction of the glowing candles, feeling around for his glasses as he reached a chest that became clearer the closer he got. He put them on and surveyed his surroundings. He had woken up in stranger places, but he had thought he had gotten over that stage of his life. For some reason, he had decided to end his night in a creepy crypt. How he had gotten into some sort of liquid pod was a mystery to be solved later.

He felt a chill breeze and realized he was naked.

He sighed and searched for a towel, thankful that he'd apparently had the foresight to grab one.

Once he had dried off and put on his clothes, he dug in his pocket to feel a coin. As soon as he touched it, he heard his voice, muffled by denim.

“Your name is Barry Bluejeans. Your mother’s name was Marlena and she was the most beautiful woman that had ever lived. Your father’s name was Gregor …”

Barry pulled the coin out of his pocket and stared at it, listening intently.

“There’s a weight in your chest. You don’t know what it is, but it weighs down your soul and it is tearing you apart. Well, Barry, I’m you… And I know who that weight belongs to.”

He sat down on the chest, still trying to piece together this coin. He obviously was missing a lot of time. He couldn’t even remember the night before. He thought that maybe he’d been at a party or something but…

“Unfortunately, the biggest clue we had was pilfered by this asshole but if you listen to me, we can find … We’ll figure out this weight and you’ll get the answers to everything you’re wondering. First off, we need to look for a Sun Elf … I’m about ninety-percent certain about this. Now, don’t ask around for the Sun Elf because if you do, you’re going to get quite the headache. Your brain won’t want to recognize them as Sun Elves because that’s not what you’re used to. So … I guess you’ll know the Sun Elf when you see her.”

Barry sighed and looked down at his coin.

He knew Sun Elves. He took a few classes with them and was thinking of trying to enroll in some classes in evocation just so he could take classes with...

“Huh,” he thought.

He knew what she looked like but when he tried to focus on her, his mind got fuzzy.

He shook his head and continued to listen to the instructions he was given.

~

“I just think that Sizzle it up with Taako, Lup, and Sazed would be a great idea,” Sazed started. “The show is already a three act structure so I could even open up for you two …”

Taako’s ears flattened. He’d already had this conversation with Sazed, in private, but now he was bringing it up over their shared dinner with Lup. He knew that Sazed was taking advantage of Lup being in the room. She would be more likely to agree with him and they both knew it.

It wasn’t even that Sazed was that bad of a chef or magician. Hell, the human could do a few cantrips and could maybe blow a spell slot if he was trying, but he didn’t want to share billing with him.

He didn’t even want to share this cart with him. Not after how he had been treating Lup.

“Sazed, We’ve been over this,” Taako gritted out.

Lup’s ears flicked. “What?”

“He’s been doing this for a week now.”

“What did you tell him?”

“No. I don’t … It doesn’t feel right.”

“Sazed, it’s just…” Lup started. Her heart pounded in her chest and her mouth went dry. “We already have a sign and the T-shirts and well… it’s just bad business!” She spit out.

Taako’s ears raised slightly in surprise.

“We don’t have nearly enough puffy paint to write out ‘Sazed’ on the shirts. We’d have to throw them all out!” She continued. “It’s… It’s nothing against you, Sazed. It’s just… It’s a merch thing.”

“Ok …” Sazed said, dejectedly. “I get it.”

“Do you?” Taako shot back. “Because I don’t want to have this conversation again.”

“No it’s… It’s definitely locked in, Taako,” Sazed gritted.

Lup felt a chill down her spine and realized she had just made a terrible mistake.

That night, Sazed was cold and distant at first. He had gone to their shared cot and laid down with his back turned to Lup. She wanted to talk to him, but she was frightened. She had seen him shut down, sure, but this was different.

“I can’t believe you agreed with him,” Sazed started.

“I… Well, it makes sense -”

“What were you two actually saying?” He asked.

“E-excuse me?” Lup asked.

“Your ears. You were talking with your ears. Don’t think I didn’t notice, Lup,” he growled. “What is it, then? What secrets are you keeping?”

“What the fuck, Sazed?” Lup asked, starting to rise up from the cot. “All I was doing was asking what was going on!”

“Stop fucking lying!” He snapped back. “Is he why you don’t want to fuck me? Is that what this is? Am I just something fun to fuck around with while you have something on the side?”

“No!” Lup cried out. “Sazed, I’m telling you the truth! I haven’t and I would never! I just don’t feel safe!” Her ears pinned back. “And what about you? You’re always gone and I know you’ve come back with someone else’s scent on you-”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do? Just languish while you dangle that carrot in front of me? I have needs!”

“You knew getting into this that I needed time! I’ve never been in this serious of a relationship before and I’m scared, Sazed! I’m fucking terrified!”

Sazed harrumphed, bitterly, before he rose, slipping his feet into his shoes and shrugging on his coat..

“W-where are you going?” Lup asked.

“Out.”

“Sazed, we…we can talk about this! I … I can try …”

“I need to get out,” Sazed said, emotionlessly as he started for the partition.

“Sazed, please,” Lup whispered.

He grabbed her roughly and pushed her aside before stalking out of the cart.

She wanted to go after him, but she knew she couldn’t. She wanted to call out, but her voice was lost.

Instead, she crawled back onto the bed and curled up tightly. She looked down at her rings.

She still couldn’t take off the one Sazed had given her.

On the other side of the partition, Taako sat, staring dumbfounded after Sazed. He had wanted to go after him and take him down for hurting Lup. He wanted to fire him. To do anything to get back at him.

But he knew Lup wouldn’t want that.

He turned his attention to the room. He wanted to go in and talk to her, but he knew she wouldn’t say anything. If Sazed had physically hurt her, she wouldn’t tell him.

Even worse, he knew that if they split up, it would be his fault.

All of this was his fault. He had been projecting his worries about Sazed and Lup must have been catching onto it subconsciously. He didn’t love Lup like that - Gods no - but Sazed was not good enough for her. He wished he had never given his blessing. If he hadn’t then this would never have happened. If he hadn’t prodded Lup…

He sighed and looked over his belongings.

They had a show in Glamour Springs and they couldn’t cancel, but maybe after that show, he could duck out of her life so he wouldn’t ruin her next relationship.

 

So that he wouldn’t ruin the rest of her life.

He sighed and started to organize his things. He couldn’t meditate and he definitely couldn’t sleep. He needed to keep himself occupied.

He needed to prepare for a life on the road, alone.

~

“Yeah, I’ve got a pretty big rat problem,” Sazed started as he talked to the apothecary. “I’m glad you’re open this late though.”

“Sure thing,” the gnome behind the counter said as he searched the packages. “Now, you’ll need to be careful with this,” he cautioned. “There’s enough in here to knock out a dwarf so keep it out of the reach of any kids or pets you might like. Or people, for that matter. Honestly, I don’t like selling this stuff but it’s not like we have any better poisons for rats.”

Sazed nodded absentmindedly.

He had chewed on enough peppermint to hide the whiskey smell on his breath, but he still worried that the gnome was onto him. That everyone would be onto him.

He only needed to poison Taako’s food, but he couldn’t be certain which sample Taako would take so he needed enough to poison the whole tray.

He could only hope that Lup didn’t eat any of the samples either. He didn’t want to lose her, but…

“Alright, So that will be five gold and, of course, by decree of Lord Artemis Sterling, I will need you to sign for it.”

Sazed had been drinking. Not enough to have his judgement completely clouded, but just enough to do something reckless.

He took the pen and signed his own name before grabbing the glass bottle from the gnome and heading back to the cart.

He couldn’t check to see if there was a brothel tonight. He couldn’t risk being caught. Not before the final show in Glamour Springs.

~

The next morning, they arrived in Glamour Springs. Taako had pretended he didn’t notice that Lup’s outfit had changed, most likely to cover up bruising from the night before. He wanted to say something but guilt ate at him and he needed to make sure he had enough money for when he left the show. For when he went out to be on his own.

The menu for the show was the Thirty Garlic Clove Chicken, Aunt Tilly’s Turkey Recipe, and then a show stopping Cherries Jubilee. Lup and Taako did their introductions before Taako shooed Lup offstage so he could begin. With such a big crowd, they had set up the sample plates ahead of time with an enchantment Lup had worked on to keep the dishes warm (as long as nothing flammable touched them). As Taako began to cook the Thirty Garlic Clove Chicken, Lup went to the cart behind the stage to check on the turkey she prepared.

That was when she saw Sazed, hunched over Taako's sample plates a bottle in his hand.

“Sazed?” Lup asked. “Babe, what are… What are you doing?”

Sazed looked up and paled and Lup got a closer look at the bottle.

Arsenic.

He was going to poison Taako.

She didn’t think. She didn’t even realize she had raised her umbrella and cast fireball until it was too late. Until she saw his face burning up, twisted in a pained scream. She was frozen in horror. She watched as his body crumpled in the searing heat, the horrible smell of burning flesh and hair filling her nose. It wasn’t until the cupboards and floor of the cart began to catch fire that she snapped herself out of her stupor.

She had killed him.

She had killed Sazed.

It was in defense of someone else, but she had still taken someone’s life. She had still taken the life of someone who she thought she loved. She didn’t even know how she had cast that spell, but as she stared at the flames, she realized that was not the most important thing anymore.

She staggered back as the flames spread through the cart. She had to get Taako out of there. She had do…

“Lup! Lup, what happened?” Taako called out from the stage.

Lup staggered out of the cart as the flames licked out of the small windows.

“There’s… Fire… Taako, the show’s over…” She gasped out.

His ears stood at full alert as he swung around peeling back to the curtains to see the flaming cart.

“My Thirty Garlic Clove Chicken Samples!” Taako cried out. “Fucking Sazed -”

“It… It wasn’t quite him,” Lup started. “He…we …”

Taako searched her eyes for an answer as the crowd scattered, trying to find something to put out the flaming cart.

He could see it in her eyes now. Something had happened.

Something had happened, and Sazed…

He looked back at the audience to see that everyone had scrambled away, most likely to grab pails of water to extinguish the flames.

Not that there would be anyone left to rescue.

“Let’s go,” Taako resolved. “They’ll… They’ll put it out--”

“Taako, you need to leave me! They’ll take you too and you didn’t do anything wrong and—”

“I’m not fucking leaving you, Lup,” Taako snapped. “But we need to go, now! Before they find him!”

Lup nodded and the pair bolted out into the woods. As they reached the treeline, Lup looked back one more time to see the blazing wreckage of the cart. She clutched her umbrella close.

She had killed her boyfriend.

But he was going to kill her Taako…

~

Barry wandered through the woods. He hadn’t eaten in a couple of days and his canteens were running low, but he had to keep following the coin. He stopped for a moment and looked at his map. Somehow, he had gotten off of the main road and he couldn’t tell where the nearest town was anymore. The map he was using had to be outdated.

“That’s just like you, Barry,” he grumbled to himself. “Hoarding maps and then getting lost in some damn forest. We’re not drinking that much ever again… However much we drank…”

He looked up from his map and pulled out his coin. There had to be another clue that he was missing. He had to have planned for this, right?

But no. The coin stayed silent. Whatever triggered his coin to speak to him hadn’t happened yet. He sighed and shoved it back into his pocket before going over in his head what he was looking for.

He was looking for Sun Elves who didn’t look like what other folks here called Sun Elves. He hadn’t seen any elves since he had left the crypt, so he didn’t have a frame of reference for what a Sun Elf wasn’t.

He was looking for something to alleviate the weight in his chest and one of his best clues had been stolen so no help there.

He had to search for traces of arcane energy, even though he wasn’t sure how he would be able to tell what he was looking for. He had only slightly dabbled in the arcane arts after a sparring match with his last college roommate had left him deciding that focusing on being a fighter was not an appropriate career path. He only barely remembered his introductory lessons and he could only do basic arcana checks. Checks that told him nothing as he wandered these woods. He didn’t know where to even start or what kind of arcane energy he was looking for. All he knew was that his voice was telling him to do this.

And it knew so much about him

It promised to alleviate the weight in his chest. The weight he couldn’t place.

He wondered who the weight belonged to. He had seen the note that his voice had told him not to move. The note with the lip imprint and the promise. He needed to find the person who left that note. Something told him that that was who the weight belonged to, but…

He heard voices up ahead and ran forward. Perhaps it was someone who could help him. Someone who could at least point him to a town so he could get a hot meal. So that he could refill his canteens.

“It’s alright… You don’t have to tell me now but…Lup, we can’t go back.”

“I know…”

“How did you even do that? I mean, I know you can cast some flames but…”

“I don’t know. It—It just happened…”

Barry approached slowly. The voices struck something deep inside of him, but he wasn’t sure why.

He nearly reached them when he heard their voices suddenly quiet. Then—

“Who goes there?” One of the voices called out, fear tinting their voice.

“Um… Sorry, I’m just lost,” Barry called out, slowly coming into view.

He stared ahead at the nearly identical Sun Elves that looked at him. One of the elves had dark, shoulder length hair that was in tight curls. She wore a crimson robe that was burned around the edges. In one of her hands was an umbrella. Next to her was the elf who must have called out to him, his hand gripping her free hand tightly. He wore his golden hair in a long braid down his back.

Both of them looked as if they hadn’t meditated in days.

Their ears were twitching and Barry instantly recognized it for what it was.

He had studied elvish almost obsessively as a young adult. Originally, he had wanted to go into linguistics and study all of the languages he could, but he could never truly decide on a focus. When he had first seen the pretty sun elf (who he still couldn’t recall the exact looks of), he had decided he needed to learn the Sun Elf dialect. Learning what the body language meant had been easier said than done.

Learning to copy the body language was nearly impossible.

The woman’s ears flicked first. He couldn’t quite piece together exactly what was being said, but he tried to remember what the ear twitches meant as he pretended not to notice.

_“...Look familiar to you too?”_

_“Not him. Not... ghost.”_

_“But…see it?”_

_“Yeah ... Not him. Stop saying that.”_

_“I know…not him... Someone else... Know him.”_

_“Don’t trust him… Trap.”_

“Who are you?” the man asked in Common as the woman stared ahead at Barry, her eyes dazed and unfocused.

“B-Barry… My name’s Barry. I’m looking for something…someone… I think …”

“Well, whoever it is, they’re not here!” The man shouted. “So piss off!”

Barry turned to leave, trying not to let the elves’ anger sting him.

“Wait!” he heard the other elf call behind him. He turned around to see her break away from the man, running towards him.

She grabbed his hand and for a moment, it seemed like the weight lifted from his chest. He stared down at her hand to see a pair of rings on her ring finger, a pair of golden bands with a Tanzanite in the center of each.

Both gems stacked perfectly.

His heart ached when he looked at the rings but he couldn't take his eyes off of them. There was something about them. Something about her…

He noticed bruises on her arms and his heart clenched. She'd been hurt. Was it the other elf? No …they seemed too close for that. The marks were too large. Who had...

“There’s a town to the east,” she started, squeezing his hand gently, releasing the ache in his heart for a moment. “It’s not too far away and, well, these woods can be easy to get lost in… Just uh…head in a straight line eastward and you’ll run into it.”

“Lup,” the man warned. “He may have—”

She looked back at the man and tilted her head, exasperated.

“He didn’t. I trust him,” she started. “I don’t know why, but I do…”

The man grumbled something under his breath, causing the woman to flip him off while turning back to the human.

“Just… Rest up there and then I’m sure you’ll be able to find whatever you’re looking for in the morning with a clear head.”

Barry smiled.

Something about her…

“Thanks,” he blushed.

“Come on, Lup! We need to keep moving,” the man urged, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her away.

“Yeah… sure,” she started. “Good luck, Barry. I hope you find what you’re looking for!”

Barry smiled and looked down at his hand.

The weight in his chest returned.

When he arrived in the town, he realized why the elves had been running.

Glamour Springs was abuzz with the story about the final show of “Sizzle it up with Taako and Lup”. The elven pair had run after their cart caught fire. The charred body of a human man was found, along with a bottle that had mostly survived the fire. A bottle whose paper label had been burned beyond recognition but whose glass had survived. Imprinted on the glass was the name of the apothecary, a size, and the words “Arsenic. Highly Toxic. Keep out of reach of Children.”

The World’s Greatest Detective, Charles McDonald, had arrived with his young grandson in tow. He easily deduced that the pair of elves must have set the cart on fire, killing the man, but that the arsenic did not belong to them. A call on his stone of farspeech to the apothecary of the neighboring town confirmed his deduction.

The town had narrowly been saved at the cost of a human life.

Barry wanted to find the elves again, to let them know, but he had to follow the coin. He had to follow its instructions or else he would forever have the weight in his chest.

He sighed and pulled out a map. The elves had been running in the direction of another town he had never visited before. One that had been circled on the map. Perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone after all.

He paid for his meal and set off in the direction of Raven’s Roost.

~

Lup lay on the ground, staring up at the sky.

She could run. She could run now and Taako would be safe. She could leave him with the supplies they had been able to leave with and then…

Then what?

Would she turn herself in?

She didn’t want him to be implicated at all. She didn’t want to put him through that. She cared too much about him.

Why though? Why did she care so much when she had obviously never cared this much about anyone else before?

If she had cared more about other people, she wouldn’t have killed…

She rolled over onto her side, the guilt eating away at her.

She had killed the one person who had loved her. The one person who had accepted her for who she was. She could have talked to him. She could have worked things out and talked him down from trying to poison Taako.

But she didn’t. She just acted and killed him.

She looked over at Taako. There was no way he would be able to survive alone. Sure he had talked about his childhood—which had been eerily similar to hers, but they both came from the same town that had been devastated by a plague so it made some sense—and stated he had grown up scrappy, but one look at him made her wonder if he was truly cut out for life on the road.

She sighed. She couldn’t leave him, even if it would be easier on him in the short term. There was no way he would survive on his own.

She would need to work on a disguise spell. They would be looking for a pair of elves who looked nearly identical. That had been their gimmick after all.

She resigned herself to staying, for now.

She thought back to the human that they had run into. Something about him had made her want to trust him. To tell him to join them.

But she couldn’t let anyone in ever again. Not like that. She couldn’t trust herself.

And he had looked similar enough to Sazed that she couldn't…that must have been why her heart ached so much when she saw him. This man that was definitely her type but she couldn't do that to herself again. She couldn't put that on anyone else. Whatever issues she had, she couldn't push them on yet another human.

And he was long gone anyway. Off to Glamour Springs. Off to report that he had seen the Sun Elves.

The Sun Elf who had murdered her lover.

She still didn’t even know what had come over her, but she couldn’t take it back. She had ruined everything.

She curled in on herself and bit back a sob.

In the morning, she would try again. She would try to get Taako to listen to reason and leave her.

To get him to go to a town where he would be safer.

To maybe get his show back.

Sizzle it Up with Taako just rolled off the tongue better, anyway.

~

Barry had found the Craftsmen’s Corridor of Raven’s Roost to be very hospitable. He had made it to an inn late at night and was currently looking over his maps once more.

This didn’t seem like the type of place that would hold the answers to his questions, but at the same time, there was something familiar about the place.

He had decided to go for a walk when he saw her. A young, half elf woman was hoisting logs over her shoulder, carrying them into the Hammer and Tongs. Perhaps she could answer some of his questions.

As he walked towards the Hammer and Tongs, the world exploded around him.

Barry didn’t remember dying, but he never really did. After dying so many times, it wasn’t that memorable anymore.

He hovered over his body and took stock of all that was happening around him.

Someone had blown up the Craftsmen’s Corridor.

Someone had killed all of these people.

Someone had—

He looked over to see the Hammer and Tongs in ruins and quickly sped over, fearing the worst.

He looked around to see the body of an older, human man behind the remains of the counter. Crumpled, away from the door, was the body of the half elf woman.

Barry started for her when he noticed the steady rise and fall of her chest. She was barely alive, but he knew she wouldn’t be long for this world. He hovered over her and froze when she turned to look at him.

“Are…are you here to take me?” she whispered.

“No,” Barry replied. “I was… I was looking for…someone…”

“Magnus…” she whispered.

Barry felt himself shatter. Magnus. She knew Magnus. A look at her hand and he realized who she was.

Magnus’s wife.

And she was dying.

“I… Oh god…” he started. “Please hold on…”

“Magnus… He… He’s safe… Can you… Can you tell him?”

Barry nodded.

“Thank you.”

“Of course,” Barry smiled, weakly. “But… You need to rest. I know a…”

No. He didn’t know a healer.

Not one that could arrive here soon enough. Not one who would even remember…

He opened a rift in reality, the place where he had hidden his coin and his jeans in between bodies and searched. He had components he had gathered over the past six years and now was one of the best times to use them. He gathered them together, sparing another look at the dying half-elf woman, and began to send a message.

_Magnus, return to Raven’s Roost. There was an explosion. You need to say goodbye._

He looked back at the woman. She smiled at him weakly.

“You were his friend once…”

Barry nodded.

“Yes. He doesn’t remember…”

“Please make sure he’s ok … He needs to live… He can’t…”

“I will,” Barry promised.

“Thank you… Tell him I love him…”

“Of course,” Barry smiled weakly.

The woman closed her eyes and Barry hovered near her. He watched as her chest rose and fell, her breaths getting slower and slower until she breathed her last.

He sat near her body for several minutes. He felt like he couldn’t leave her behind, but there wasn’t any way he could carry her body out of there. He finally rose up and began to leave the ruins of the Hammer and Tongs.

He couldn’t stay here. The Raven Queen’s Emissary would be here soon.

Barry turned back to look at the crumbling building. Magnus would be devastated. He had just lost the love of his life. It would be too much to bear for his kind-hearted friend.

And Barry couldn’t do anything to help him.

Thoughts of Magnus brought him back more and more to the Barry he remembered. Then it hit him.

_Lup._

He had found her and she was alive! He felt more stable than he had in years. Than he had since…

Since everyone forgot.

He felt the crackling of lightning build up at his fingertips and he fought to remember Lup. Fought to remember their day together.

He fought to remember that she was alive and a reunion was possible now.

He had been so close to Lup. So close to reuniting with her.

But she didn’t remember him and neither she, nor Taako, had made it here. He was glad for that. He was glad to have missed Magnus as well. If this was their last world…

He couldn’t bear to lose any of them. He couldn’t bear to find that any of them had died. Sure, if Lup had died then she would still come back but if any of the others had died, then that would be it.

They would never get another chance.

And Magnus had obviously had a life here now. He had formed bonds.

Bonds that were now shattered.

He thought back to the woman he had seen. Even if he could find the Starblaster, even if they could somehow leave this world, she would be waiting for someone who would never join her.

And what of the Hunger? What if this plan was simply stalling it? What if the Hunger still came to this plane. Sure, it had been six years…

He wanted to just break away from this world and find a way to make sure everyone remembered. To make sure that Lup remembered him. To make sure that his family was together again. They could try on another world but...

But it was selfish. He couldn’t do that to Magnus. Couldn’t do that to Merle.

He couldn’t do that to this world.

He sighed and prepared to leave Raven’s Roost. As much as it pained him to lose this opportunity to find Lup again, he needed to get back behind his wards. He needed a new plan. The plan could no longer be to find a way off of this world.

The plan now had to be to reunite his family on Faerun.

Even if it took the rest of their lives.

He bit back the weight that he felt, the instability, and focused on returning to his crypt. Lup was alive. That meant that he couldn’t just approach her. He couldn’t just go to her and tell her everything. She wouldn’t remember and it would shatter her mind if she tried.

He would have to wait until a better time. He would have to find Lucretia, find the Starblaster, and find out what had happened with the Voidfish. He didn’t want to believe she had done this, but the evidence and the fact he had never found her or Davenport did not bode well.

He couldn’t think about the possibilities right now. He needed to come up with a plan

He made his way back to his cave. He paced around the crypt, piecing together what he now knew.

How had Lup found Taako? She obviously had been alive when Lucretia wiped everyone’s memories, so she wouldn’t have known that Taako was her brother. Barry could never forget Taako’s face as the memory of his sister was taken away.

But somehow, they had met. Somehow they were traveling together again.

And now they thought they needed to run.

He needed to make sure he found them. He needed them to know that they were safe—that no one was hunting them. He knew enough of their childhoods to know that even with the mind-wipe, they both had that deep-seated fear.

He conjured up the coin and began to record a message. At least he knew that Lup was alive. That she still existed in this world. And even if he knew for sure that she had been with that man he had met in the bar, he couldn't hold it against her.

She didn't remember.

He tried not to think of what she was going through now. That man...she had killed that man. He must have hurt her or Taako.

He wished he could give that man a piece of his mind.

The temptation to just spend the rest of his wait being near her was great, but he knew that he would have to constantly worry about the Raven Queen’s emissaries.

And if she saw him, she wouldn’t know…

He chose to wait out the time, planning his next strategy. Finding the gauntlet wasn’t as high of a priority anymore. He had found Lup and the gauntlet could wait.

~

Taako didn’t know why he let Lup talk him into dragging him to Raven’s Roost. Sure, they had not visited the town in months, but there was no way that the people of Raven's Roost had not heard about the horrific crime.

Even though Lup had constantly told him that he had no culpability, that he wasn’t responsible, Taako felt just as guilty, if not more so.

Whatever had happened between Lup and Sazed, it was at least partially his fault.

He had made his frustrations with the human known. He had spurned him when he wanted to have more of a role in the show.

Lup still hadn’t told him what exactly happened, but he could connect the dots well enough.

She had to choose between the love of her life and her business partner.

And she chose business.

If it had been anyone else, Taako wouldn’t have cared. And logically, he shouldn’t have because Lup was just a stranger he had met at an inn.

But she was more than that. She had become family to him.

He ran into Lup, shaking himself out of his reverie, and noticed that she was frozen in horror.

“Lup, what is it?” He asked, ears pinned back. “Did someone catch us?”

He looked past her as she stared ahead. His eyes widened as realization struck him.

The entire Craftsmen’s Corridor was obliterated. The lofty city was now a blazing pile of rubble as the fire seemed to roar out of control. Villagers were busy trying to put out the fires and, from the looks of it, the fires had been raging for a while. Taako watched as Lup tore ahead, as if she could somehow help with rescuing people from the rubble.

“Lup, wait!”

“No one else is going to die!” She cried out. “I can’t…”

Taako caught her and held her close, keeping her from moving any further. She fell to the ground in a heap and wept.

“Lup… There’s nothing you can do here… We’re elves, and we’re not all that strong. Hell, I don’t even know any good spells that could snuff out those flames and mage hand only goes so far...“

And we’re already suspected of blowing up a cart in one town… If word got out and we were found here…

He kept silent, just letting Lup sob into his arms. He wasn’t sure how long they had been there, but the sound of a carriage stopping, the sound of someone running snapped him to attention.

“Lup… Lup, we’ve got to go!”

Lup refused to move. Taako grabbed her and dragged her into the bushes.

They were silent, hoping that whoever came out didn’t see them.

Lup didn’t want to think of what could happen to Taako if they were captured. She couldn’t live with the guilt.

A human man emerged from down the road. Lup and Taako froze. Something about him. They knew him from somewhere, but they couldn’t place where.

His face was twisted in grief as he staggered towards the city. He seemed as if he was in a daze.

And then Lup recognized him.

“It’s Magnus Burnsides,” she whispered.

Taako clasped his hand over her mouth.

But Magnus didn’t seem to notice the pair as he sank to his knees.

And Taako remembered.

They had received a letter from Magnus during one of their longer stays in Neverwinter. Apparently the corrupt Governor Kalen had been deposed, with the town wanting Magnus to take over. They had been thrilled to hear it and had meant to write back, but they never got around to it. They had even talked about possibly returning to Raven’s Roost to visit him.

Here he was now, crumpled over in grief.

They couldn’t do anything about it. Taako hurriedly pulled Lup back through the brush and the pair escaped into the darkness.

~

  
That night, as Taako slept, Lup stole away into the night and shrugged off her charred crimson robe. She held it in her hands, examining it a final time before setting it down. The patch on the breast still made her head ache.

She had worn this robe for six years and she still had no idea where she had gotten it

It was one of the most iconic things about her. That and her umbrella.

She couldn't get rid of the umbrella, of course. It was her focus and a wizard without a focus was useless.

She could,however, destroy the robe. It would be easier for them if it was gone. They would still have to disguise themselves, of course, but this was a start. She could always buy a new robe.

She looked down at her rings. She knew she should take off the one Sazed had given her but she couldn't do it. She had to hold onto it as a reminder.

A reminder of why she could never let herself open up like that again.

She raised her umbrella and concentrated.

She just needed a flame cantrip.

Her hands shook and she sank to her knees.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't risk hurting anyone again. If her fire raged out of control then it could destroy the forest and any neighboring towns.

She composed herself and rose to her feet again, swinging her umbrella onto her shoulder. Perhaps the robe could get destroyed by the elements.

Perhaps it could throw the militia off of their trail.

Perhaps they would think the wilderness handed out justice.

As Lup left the robe, she felt a nagging feeling in her heart.

It was as if she was leaving a piece of herself, of her home, behind.

But it was a silly thought. After all, it was just a robe.

~

Barry emerged from the tank with a gasp, splitting through the membrane and falling to his knees on the floor.

He looked up, focusing his blurred vision on something—anything—so that he could figure out where he was.

He crawled his way over to what looked like a towel on the floor and wiped himself off before walking over to what looked like his clothes on the dresser. He grabbed the glasses from the top of the pile and place them on before looking around.

A green pod was in the corner of the cave he was in. It must have been what he woke up in which… Well, he’d participated in some pretty wild parties before, so he supposed it made sense.

He looked down at the clothing pile again and saw a small gold coin. It didn’t look like any currency he had ever seen, but there was something deeply enticing about it.

Barry held the coin in his hand. Something pulled him to pick it up.

_“Barry. I—I need you to listen to me. Your mother’s name was Marlena and she was the most beautiful woman that had ever lived. Your father’s name was Gregor…”_

Barry listened as the voice spoke to him, in shock as he heard his whole life’s story told to him by his own voice.

_“There’s a weight in your chest. You don’t know what it is, but it weighs down your soul and it is tearing you apart. Well, Barry, I’m you… And I know who that weight belongs to.” There was a pause as the voice from the coin seemed to need to compose itself. “And Barry, I know where she is…”_


End file.
